


Another Galaxy

by marly4077



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-08-16 11:45:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 44,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8101171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marly4077/pseuds/marly4077
Summary: When Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker encounter a space anomaly during a Clone Wars mission, they find themselves millions of light years away from home, in another galaxy.  While Anakin struggles to find a way to return to Padme, Obi-Wan finds himself more and more attracted to this distant and exotic place.





	1. Anomaly

**Chapter One**

**Anomaly**

            Obi-Wan Kenobi glanced over at Anakin Skywalker as he piloted the ship out of their initial hyperspace jump.  The two men sat in silence for quite a bit of the journey from Coruscant to Corellia, despite the fact they hadn’t seen each other for several weeks prior to leaving.  Now over a year into the Clone Wars, the Jedi seemed stretched thin across the galaxy, leading troops, going undercover, striving for peace, and Obi-Wan and his former apprentice had been separated by light years and different missions.

            The older Jedi knew a rift continued to form in between himself and Anakin, but he could not put his finger on the cause.  He and Anakin, although close, did have a rough time over the years, and Obi-Wan often wondered what he failed to do as a teacher.  He longed to have with Anakin the relationship Qui-Gon Jinn had with him when Obi-Wan was a padawan, but as Anakin grew older and more rebellious, Obi-Wan saw this could never be, and he felt he’d failed in several respects.  Still, Anakin turned into a marvelous Jedi, dedicated, intelligent, hard-working, loyal.  He even had an apprentice of his own now.

            Obi-Wan wondered momentarily if Yoda sensed this gulf forming between Obi-Wan and Anakin and arranged this rather mundane mission to Corellia, to procure more ships for the Clone Army, to encourage the men to bond.  Obi-Wan smiled and shook his head.

            “So, how’s life on the Council?” Anakin asked, breaking the silence. 

Obi-Wan’s grin grew.  Typical Anakin, could not stand a thoughtful quiet, a slower pace.

“Interesting.  I honestly don’t feel a whole lot different, being a Master now.  I thought I would but…perhaps if the war wasn’t happening,” he answered. 

And how is Padme? He longed to ask in return but kept his mouth shut.  No use opening that discussion.  But Obi-Wan knew much more than Anakin thought, and he also knew not to breech the topic.  The argument that would inevitably occur would further drive them apart, and Obi-Wan did not see Anakin’s transgressions as being terribly harmful, as he was the Chosen One after all.

“Think I’ll ever be a Master?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed, looking through the front window.  A bright blue aura appeared and blinked out in space ahead of them.  Strange.

“Master?”

“Huh?” asked Obi-Wan turning to Anakin.

Anakin sighed heavily.  “You don’t, do you?  The Council, especially Master Yoda and Master Windu, don’t trust me.  I can feel it.  They give me an apprentice, but I don’t think they’ll ever…”

The aura appeared again, but only for a second.

“What the….?” exclaimed Obi-Wan leaning forward in his seat.  “Did you see that?”

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan and rolled his eyes in spectacular fashion.  “Of course you’re avoiding the topic.  C’mon Obi-Wan, you’re my friend!  My brother!  You’ve gotta have allegiance to family over the Council, right?  I know Master Windu says I’m…”

The blue anomaly flashed again, and their ship headed straight toward it.

“Full stop!” Obi-Wan cried, reaching over and grabbing Anakin on the shoulder.  “Now.”

Anakin glared over at Obi-Wan but stopped the ship.  “What’s your problem?”

But Obi-Wan didn’t answer.  He studied the space ahead of them.  They were in between systems, empty vacuum.  Had he been seeing things?

“Didn’t you see that blue flash?” Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin grabbed the metal cup in the holder on the helm and took a long drink of caf.  He laughed.  “Getting old, huh master?  They say the mind is the first thing to go.”

“I don’t think…well, maybe it was my imagination,” Obi-Wan said, puzzled.  He looked around him on the small ship, which consisted of only the cockpit and a storage bay, minimal weapons.  A simple transport really.  He suddenly laughed, trying to put himself at ease.  “Maybe I am getting old.”

“There’s a few more grays than the last time I saw you,” Anakin teased.  “Although I must say the beard is looking very well groomed.”

Obi-Wan chuckled.  “A new barber near the Temple, yesterday.  Nice to have someone else do it for once.”  He shook his head.  “Sorry, Anakin.  Let’s continue.”

Anakin studied the panel, entering the next set of hyperspace coordinates. 

“You know, you could make a little more effort with that mop on top of your head,” Obi-Wan said, raising an eyebrow playfully at his former padawan.  “You look in a perpetual state of…”

“What in the…” cried Anakin, and Obi-Wan turned toward the window in time to see the blue flash burst and suddenly swallow them.

The ship shook aggressively, and both men cried out.

“Did…did you put it into hyperspace?” yelled Obi-Wan over the clanking of the ship’s metal.  The transport sounded like it would fall apart at any moment.

“No!” Anakin screamed just as the colors around them changed, running through the entire spectrum.

The movement of the ship seemed to speed up, going forward, and for a time going backward, then spinning…spinning uncontrollably through a tunnel of rapidly changing colors.

Obi-Wan felt himself increasingly pressed to his seat to the point he might implode and become nothing altogether.  He reached out to the Force but sensed nothing.  His vision began to dim, and he had the sudden realization he might die.  But that thought didn’t frighten him since he slipped into unconsciousness.

Jerking awake suddenly, Obi-Wan sat up from his slumped position, his eyes darting around the cabin.  How long had he been out?  Was he hurt?  He made a quick assessment of his well-being, noticing his only injuries seemed to be bruising caused by the crash webbing.  Thank goodness he always belted in, especially when Anakin drove.

Anakin!  He turned toward his friend to see him still out cold, his forehead bleeding profusely.  Obi-Wan looked at the floor to see Anakin’s metal caf cup with a blood stain around the rim.  He’d probably been hit when the ship spiraled.  Otherwise, Anakin looked fine, breathing steadily.

Finally, Obi-Wan looked out the front window.  A large gas giant planet filled the view, swirls of orange, red, and yellow.  He could see several small moons orbiting.  While Obi-Wan traveled throughout much of the galaxy in his time as a padawan and a Jedi Knight, he couldn’t recall this world, nor the name of the system. 

The ship seemed dead in space, the emergency lights and life support system on, as indicated from the helm.  Slowly unbuckling, Obi-Wan stood on wobbly feet and went to Anakin.

“Anakin, wake up,” he said, ripping a piece of fabric from his robe and applying pressure to Anakin’s cut.  His friend’s eyes fluttered, and he suddenly became wide awake.

“What…where…why is there blood?”

Obi-Wan sat back down as Anakin took over the cloth on his cut.

“What happened?” Anakin said, looking dazed, staring at the planet in front of them.  “Ah…that wasn’t there before.”

Obi-Wan just shook his head, and Anakin began to check all the systems. 

“Seems the ship is fine.  Looks like some damage to the outer hull.  We should do some repairs before attempting hyperspace again,” he suddenly looked over at Obi-Wan in excitement.  “Hey, maybe we discovered a new hyperspace lane.  There’s money to be had in that.”

“Maybe,” said Obi-Wan, curious now.  Maybe the Kenobi-Skywalker Route, a new trading lane.  Or just Skywalker, as he foresaw Anakin arguing the point that he was, in fact, piloting.  “How far away are we from our previous location?”

He turned to Anakin in time to see utter shock take over the Jedi’s face.  “I…that…no…”

“What?”

“That can’t be possible.  That would mean we’re in another galaxy,” Anakin said, barely above a whisper.

“How far?” demanded Obi-Wan, suddenly feeling cold.

“The gauge says we are 20 million light years from our last stop,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan shook his head in disbelief.  Twenty million?  That seemed like an obscenely large number.  He reached out with the Force without thinking and gasped.  The Force existed here, but it definitely felt different, hard to place or describe, that difference, but different nonetheless.

“Another galaxy,” Obi-Wan said, barely audible, shock settling into his every fiber.  “Twenty million light years.”

 

 

 

 


	2. A New World

**Chapter Two**

**A New World**

Anakin frantically checked all the gauges on the ship, continuing to come up with the same figure: 20 million light years away from home.  How could this be?  That number seemed impossible, an extreme exaggeration.  His heart began to race, his blood running hot, and fear began to flow through him.  How would he get back home?  He needed to be there, for Padme.

            After checking for every possible mistake in the readings and finding none, he turned toward Obi-Wan, the man who always seemed to have an answer for everything, even if Anakin disagreed with the solution.  But Obi-Wan sat, transfixed, looking out the window at the gas giant in front of them.

            “Um…Master?” Anakin asked.

            “Hmmm?” said Obi-Wan, still looking ahead, even leaning forward slightly.

            “What are we going to do?”

            “It’s beautiful,” the Jedi Master murmured.  “And the Force…it’s different here.”  He finally turned toward Anakin, his eyes slightly glazed.  “Can’t you feel it?”

            Anakin raised an eyebrow at Obi-Wan.  “Yes, it’s different.  And that just confirms things.  We’re screwed.”

            He leaped out of his seat and went to the back of the transport, opening the storage bins and closets to look for anything that could help.  He found emergency rations as well as blankets and a few extra articles of clothing.  He also found a small tool kit but not much else.

            “Damn!  Why didn’t we bring the droids?  At least R2,” he hissed angrily, starting to experience the familiar feeling of rage.  He willed himself to calm down, reaching out to the Force, but finding the slight difference unsettling rather than comforting.  He turned back to his former Master. “For goodness sake, Obi-Wan!  What is wrong with you?”

            Obi-Wan slowly rose from his seat and came to the back of the transport, adjusting his robes and glancing into the open panels at their limited supplies.  “We need to find a place to land so we’re not draining the ship’s fuel on life support.  We should check for a terrestrial planet in this system, if possible.”

            Anakin nodded, feeling relief to see Obi-Wan finally in problem solving-mode.  He couldn’t think of a time he’d seen his friend dazed and oddly giddy, and that version of Obi-Wan made him uncomfortable.  As much as they disagreed and argued, he’d always found Obi-Wan to be the most stable force in his life. 

            The two men returned to the cockpit, checking the system for other worlds.

            “A terrestrial planet with an atmosphere exists a bit further in-system,” he reported, Obi-Wan once again staring outside at the red and orange swirls of the gas giant.  “You think we should head there?”

            “Sure,” said Obi-Wan slowly, his voice casual in a way directly conflicting with Anakin’s growing, but still muted, panic.  He jolted as if awakened and turned to Anakin.  “But remember to mark this spot.  Perhaps the rip in space that opened only appears here.”  His brow furrowed.  “But maybe the system rotates around the galactic center like home, and we’ve already moved away.  Or maybe it is in orbit around this planet.  Yes…so interesting.” He smiled broadly at Anakin.  “Isn’t this fascinating?”

            “Okay, that’s it!” Anakin cried, finally losing it.  “What is your problem?”

            “Problem?” Obi-Wan said, his face falling in confusion.

            “Yes!  Twenty million light years, Obi-Wan!  We’re across the universe from everything…everyone.  The Temple and the war and Pad…everything!”

            “Yes, Anakin, but just take a moment.  Calm down.  We’ve traveled further than anyone ever…well, at least that we know…”

            “Yes, because they didn’t make it back!” Anakin shouted, jumping up and running his fingers through his hair in frustration.  He paced around for a moment, then froze, turning his gaze back to Obi-Wan, who’d once again turned to face the gas giant.  At this point in the conversation, his Master should have intervened with some sort of logic, a lesson for Anakin.

            Was Obi-Wan ill, somehow affected by their strange journey?  Taking a deep breath in order to calm down, he returned to his seat at the helm.

            “Okay.  Let’s find this planet so we can figure things out,” Anakin said through gritted teeth. 

            “Excellent,” said Obi-Wan brightly, and he sat up and looked at Anakin, his bright blue eyes shining.  “Let’s have an adventure.  Hopefully one in which we’re not being fired on by a droid army.”

Anakin accelerated the ship, worry over Obi-Wan beginning to replace his initial fear of this far off place.

Obi-Wan leaned forward as they came closer to the terrestrial world, a blue and white orb with one rather large moon, when considering the proportionality to the planet.  Quite beautiful really, and Obi-Wan felt excitement overtake him.  After Anakin announced they’d ended up so far away, he’d felt a strange calmness after the initial shock, and now he simply experienced a pleasant blend of curiosity and awe.  Twenty million light years.  Simply incredible.

As they made their way from the gas giant further in-system, Obi-Wan considered he should feel more concerned about this sudden change of events.  And the anger emanating from Anakin at the moment usually bothered him.  But he felt neither concern not the usual need to reprimand his former padawan.  He simply wanted to enjoy this new place.

Drawing closer to the new world, Obi-Wan saw large land masses separated by even larger bodies of water.  Clouds floated across the atmosphere, and a large white mass extended from the northern pole to the upper fourth of the world.  Ice, he guessed.

“We should put down there,” he said, pointing toward an area appearing brown and green from the atmosphere, in the northern hemisphere just south of the ice sheet.

“Why there?  Why not the equator?” Anakin asked.  “Might be warmer.”

“Just go there,” Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly.

“Do you feel something in the Force?”

Obi-Wan considered this for a moment.  He couldn’t explain why he chose that location, he just felt they needed to land there.  And the Force, as it was in this strange galaxy, offered no answer.

“No…I just think there…maybe,” he stammered.  He looked to Anakin to see the younger man studying him intently.

“Okay,” Anakin said finally, and they broke the atmosphere, coming down to the large land mass. 

Anakin finally landed the ship in a wide meadow, the green grass tall and vividly colored, an occasional flower adding to the visible spectrum.  In the distance, hills and mountains covered in snow and ice, glaciers a blue and occasional grey. 

Anakin shut down the engines and fiddled with the controls. 

“The air is breathable.  Temperate, a little chilly,” Anakin reported.  “Let’s step out and look at the hull.”

Opening the back hatch of the transport, the two Jedi emerged, Anakin immediately dashing around the ship to check for damage.  However, Obi-Wan continued to walk away from the ship, not even looking back.  He breathed in deeply, the air cool and clean, drifting down at him from the distant glaciers.  He suddenly felt fresh, cleansed, healthy, and he untied his outer robe and shrugged it off, letting it fall to the ground as he continued walking.  Not too warm, not too cold, the climate perfect, the sky a bright blue, with the occasional high, fluffy white cloud.  He put out his hands and allowed the tall grass to run against his palms.

He never felt this way before, becoming completely intoxicated by a place.  No, intoxicated wasn’t the right word, as he had complete and total control of his faculties.  Full control, in fact, a complete awareness of himself and the environment around him.

Finally, he sat in the grass, unclipping his lightsaber and tossing it off to the side so it wouldn’t press into his hip uncomfortably.  He sighed, breathing in and letting out the air with a slight chuckle.  Then falling back to lie on the ground completely, the grass towering above him, he spread out his limbs and regarded the sky.

Twenty million light years away, and he felt completely at home on this distant and strange world.  Why?  But at the moment, he didn’t care.  He simply felt like being, watching the clouds drift across the blue canvas.  He knew this wasn’t his usual demeanor, and he worried Anakin, but at the moment, Obi-Wan couldn’t care less.  Watching the sky begin to change color, ever so slightly, he knew evening would come soon.  He wondered what sights the sky would yield then as well.

Anakin came around the side of the ship, his hands running along the outer hull. 

“So no damage underneath, but the front end…” he stopped.  He couldn’t see Obi-Wan anywhere, and he’d been chatting away for nearly ten minutes.  He realized then his former Master never responded.  Looking out into the meadow, he spotting an area in the distance where the grass seemed pressed down.  Had he fainted?  “Master!” Anakin cried, dashing over only to find Obi-Wan’s outer robe discarded.  “Obi-Wan!” he yelled, starting to feel panicked.

“Over here,” came a calm voice, and Anakin ran further to find Obi-Wan lying on the grass, gazing contentedly at the sky, his lightsaber a couple meters away.

Anakin now felt even more panicked.  Something was definitely wrong with his friend; the man never behaved like this.  He should be right beside Anakin, figuring things out, arguing animatedly. 

“The sun will be setting soon,” Obi-Wan said, sitting up and turning to Anakin.  “We should sleep outside, see what the sky looks like.  Figure out where we are.”

Anakin watched as Obi-Wn stood and walked back toward the ship, whistling an upbeat tune as he gathered his lightsaber and robe.  He shook his head in dismay, knowing he might need to be the one to take the lead on this mission, fix the ship and keep an eye on the wayward Jedi Master.

A few hours later, after taking an assessment of their ship and supplies, the two men lie beside the fire they built near the transport, lying in their bedrolls, staring up at the foreign sky.  Anakin could usually identify different star systems from many different worlds, particularly Tatooine, Corsucant, and Naboo, but here, nothing looked familiar.  The band of light of the galaxy, in whites, pinks, and purples, spread across the night sky.  Lovely indeed, and Anakin would probably enjoy it far better if he lay holding Padme in his arms rather than lying a couple of feet from his former Master.

“We need to get home,” Anakin said, filling the silence.  They hadn’t spoken much, just about their state, where they could be, how they got here, and Anakin felt himself becoming more and more frustrated with Obi-Wan.

“Yes,” said Obi-Wan wistfully.  He looked at the sky, his arms behind his head.

A surge of frustration went through Anakin.  “Listen, you may not have anything special to go back to, just the stupid Council and the war, but I have…I…”

“You have Padme,” said Obi-Wan, not even turning to Anakin.

Anakin sat up, shocked.  “You know?”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said, still staring at the stars.  “I’m not an idiot.  I’ve been around you two enough, it would be impossible for me not to sense something.”

Anakin considered this.  Did other people know?

“I’m sure Padme is fine,” Obi-Wan continued.  “She is a strong woman and…”

“But I love her!” Anakin said, starting to feel tears in his eyes.  “And she is so far away.  I crave her.  I need her.  You wouldn’t understand.  You’ve never had love, had a woman!  You just have the Jedi.  Well, I have much more, and I’m…terrified we won’t get back.  You…you just don’t understand. You never will.”

At this outburst, Obi-Wan just sighed.  “You’re right, Anakin.  I don’t understand.”  He shuffled around to turn on his side, not facing Anakin. 

Anakin immediately felt guilty.  He did love the Jedi and admired Obi-Wan’s dedication to the Order.  He’d been needlessly cruel.

“Master, I’m sorry…I want to…”

“Anakin,” came Obi-Wan’s voice in the dark, the fire beginning to burn low.  For the first time since their arrival, Obi-Wan sounded dejected.   “Please don’t speak anymore.  Good night.”

“’Night,” Anakin said softly, feeling ashamed by his outburst.  Obi-Wan hadn’t chastised him at all about Padme, and he’d lashed out.  He looked over at his friend in the dark, seeing the back of his head, the auburn hair turning to blue-black as the fire died further. 

Looking back up at the sky, Anakin felt the tears burn his eyes and begin to fall down his cheeks.

 

 

 


	3. The Creek

**Chapter Three**

**The Creek**

A distant screeching sound woke Obi-Wan from his pleasant, dreamless sleep, and his eyes fluttered open, dew on his eyelashes.  The sun seemed to just be appearing above the horizon, the sky ablaze with vibrant colors, reflected on the glaciers in the distant mountains.  On his side, Obi-Wan shifted around to lie on his back, finding the source of the screeching, and watching in wonder.  A large avian creature soared in the air, soon joined by another.  The bird made a sudden dive into the field several meters from where Obi-Wan lie, and rose again, a small creature in its beak

            Well that answers the question of animal life on this world, thought Obi-Wan, running his hand across his face, combing the morning dew out of his auburn beard.  Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sighed happily, having slept well his first night on this exotic world.

            A snore from a couple feet away reminded Obi-Wan of Anakin, and his mind darkened, remembering the younger man’s comments from the evening before.  Anakin didn’t seem to appreciate the wonderful opportunity they’d been thrust into, moaning about Padme this and the Clone Wars that.  And once again, he’d lashed out at Obi-Wan.  For a moment, Obi-Wan wished he were completely alone, exploring this new world without his moody former padawan.

            Well, he could at least take advantage of Anakin’s indulgence of sleeping late.  Slipping out of his bedroll, he relieved himself, donned his robes, grabbed a quick protein bar from their rations, and looked around, stretching a bit, careful not to wake Anakin with any loud sound.

            They’d landed in a large meadow, which seemed to go all the way to the distant foothills of the larger, ice covered mountains.  But in the other direction, a forest loomed, tall, lush green trees moving in the morning breeze.  Obi-Wan closed his eyes and listened, hearing the sound of the trees.  Peaceful, beckoning to him.  Yes, he’s head that way.

            Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, he walked in the direction of the forest without a backwards glance to Anakin or their small ship.  As he headed toward the forest, he opened himself up to the Force, feeling the life all around him.  The Living Force, as taught to him by his master Qui-Gon Jinn, breathed into him in this place, and he quickened his step, finally plunging into the woods. 

            His mind wondered as he moved through the woods, subconsciously heading toward the distant sound of water.  He thought of Anakin’s words, how Obi-Wan didn’t know love.  Of course he knew love!  Wasn’t a Jedi the very embodiment of selflessness, one of the tenants of love?  And Obi-Wan always strived to be true to the Jedi way, the Jedi Code.

            But then Anakin also said Obi-Wan never had a woman, and the Jedi Master stopped, shaking his head.  Well, Anakin had been right in that respect, if he meant physically.  Obi-Wan followed the Code, and the Code forbade attachment, and most of the Masters discouraged forming such relationships, romantic and sexual.  Of course, Obi-Wan had his flirtation with Satine and a couple others over the years, but never going beyond sly winks and playful banter.  Simply playing around.  Of course he had urges like any other man, but he’d learned to suppress them long ago.

            He’d come close to breaking these vows, three years before that fateful trip to Tatooine where he met Anakin.  After an argument with Qui-Gon, not a common occurrence between the two, but Obi-Wan could occasionally be a foolish young man, he’d dressed as a civilian and headed into uptown Coruscant to live like, as he’d put it then, a “regular guy.”  Now, walking through the woods on a world 20 million light years away, Obi-Wan couldn’t remember the content of the argument.

            He’d gone to a nightclub, walked up to the bar, and ordered an ale, then leaned against the counter and regarded the room, thrilled to go unnoticed, since when one entered a space in Jedi robes, most everyone turned to look.  However, he did catch someone else’s attention, a young human woman about his age, olive skinned, large green eyes, soft brown hair.  They’d shared a drink and conversation before she pulled him onto the dance floor.  She wore a short shimmering red dress with a deep scoop neck, and Obi-Wan had to keep drawing his eyes away from her cleavage.  Such leering could be quite ungentlemanly. 

            But when he put his hands on the small of her back as they danced to a slow song, he felt his body light up with arousal, and they danced, their bodies pressed together, Obi-Wan sensing she felt the same way without even accessing the Force.

            They moved to another nightclub, then another, and at the fourth stop, and five ales into the evening, they’d found their way to a booth in the back, hands all over one another, Obi-Wan’s mouth on her sweet smelling neck. 

            “Come home with me,” she breathed into his ear.  “My place isn’t far.  My roommate is visiting her parents.”

            He’d agreed, his body tingling with anticipation, knowing exactly where this was headed.  A short cab ride, and they were in the lift headed to her flat.  She explained she was a university student, studying medicine.  He lied and said the same, although had the presence of mind to pick another college.

            Entering her apartment, they fell onto her sofa, their tongues wrestling, Obi-Wan feeling himself growing too excited, and employing some of the techniques he’d learned in the Temple to calm himself down before he lost control completely and embarrassed himself.  Her comm rang suddenly, startling them both, and she moved off him.

            “I’ve gotta get that, Ben,” she said, using the name he’d given her.  “My grandmother.  She always calls to check in about now, not aware of the time difference.”  She laughed and moved into another room.

            Obi-Wan sat looking around her humble apartment.  Clean, everything neat and tidy, he leaned over and saw a bedroom at the end of the hall.  The bed…yes, this was going to happen.

            Then the magnitude of what he was about to do hit him.  He never planned on leaving the Jedi Order, just wanted to see what it was like to step outside for a moment.  And now he was taking a dramatic step…no, a leap.  This could lead to something more, attachment to her. Maybe a child!  What was he thinking? 

            And he’d lied to her!  He felt disgusted in himself, behaving like an animal driven by carnal, base desires.  So uncivilized.    

            She returned minutes later, and Obi-Wan confessed to her, and to his surprise, she did not seem angry, but shocked and curious.  For the next hour, he answered questions about the Jedi before taking his leave, slinking back to the Temple in the early morning darkness. 

            At breakfast, he’d told Qui-Gon what he’d done, and again received a surprise when his master just nodded. 

            “So, you are dedicated to the Order?” Qui-Gon had asked.

            “Yes.  Absolutely,” said Obi-Wan, sure of his conviction.

            Qui-Gon simply nodded and rose.  “Let’s work on some new lightsaber techniques today.  But after you get a cup of caf.  I suspect you are quite hungover.”

            He laughed jovially as he headed away from Obi-Wan.

            Now, walking through the lush and pleasant forest, Obi-Wan smiled, remembering Qui-Gon fondly.  No, Anakin had been correct, Obi-Wan never had a woman.  He had no one specific to come back to in their home galaxy.  And perhaps this made him a little more open to the possibilities of this new place.  Perhaps the Jedi were on to something with them forbidding attachment.  Anakin’s attachment to Padme seemed to intensify his already volatile personality.

            And right now, Obi-Wan felt the complete opposite, and when he came to the creek in the middle of the woods, he sat down on the bank, sighing in contentment.  Looking into the water, the bank across several meters away, he saw small fish swimming by, their little mouths occasionally breaking the surface.  Maybe he’d catch a few for lunch, look for some plants that might offer some flavoring. 

            “I’m going for a swim,” Obi-Wan said suddenly, to no one in particular except himself. 

He stood, carefully removing and folding all his clothing.  He placed everything, including his lightsaber, on a nearby rock and climbed in, yelping slightly at the ice cold, then laughing at himself.  Soon, he was submerged up to his chest, his feet walking along the smooth rocks underneath.  Moving onto his back, he floated for some time, looking at the blue sky peeking in through the trees. He smiled when he felt a fish tickle his legs as it swam by.  Although he wouldn’t be able to stay in long, due to the cold, he did always enjoy the water.  He remembered a time he and Qui-Gon visited Mon Calamari and…

Voices in the distance ceased all thought, and Obi-Wan was on his feet again in the water, still, listening.  The voices continued, getting closer as they now rose over the sound of the water breaking on the rocks.  Looking at the bank opposite the one he entered the water from, he saw five figures coming toward the creek, the sound of their voices conversational, although he didn’t understand a word of what they said.  The people came closer by the moment.

People!  They were humans!  Obi-Wan stared, frozen in place as they came into view, and then remembering he was in the creek completely nude, he moved over to hide behind a nearby fern that stuck out over the water, large enough to hide his upper body, his bottom half still submerged.

The humans came into view, seeming to be walking along a rudimentary path that worked its way near the creek.  They appeared about as tall as Obi-Wan, but he saw the different genders represented, as three were women and slightly shorter than the two men.  They all appeared to be young adults, bronze-skinned with dark eyes and black hair, although they all wore it differently, one woman letting it flow down her back while one of the men wore his hair in a tie. The other male had a short beard.  All wore tunics and pants made of what looked to be animal hides and furs, and all carried a sharpened stick on their backs.  The shorter female carried a rope over her shoulder, several rodent-type animals hanging off of it. 

Obi-Wan stayed still, but slight panic grew when he remembered his clothing and lightsaber across the shore from where they walked.  But the humans didn’t even glance in that direction, walking by in animated conversation, passing mere feet from where Obi-Wan cowered in the ferns.  Soon they disappeared into the woods, but Obi-Wan remained still for several minutes, growing colder and colder, before he emerged and redressed quickly.

Humans!  Could Anakin’s readings have been wrong, and they were still in their galaxy?  Or were humans a universally widespread species?  He knew this place was far from home by the way the Force felt…but humans?!  He felt the rush of excitement return, the same he’d experienced when they first emerged from the space anomaly.  He moved through the woods quickly, wanting to return to Anakin to assess this latest discovery.

Anakin awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright.  A low rumbling sounded again, and he looked in the direction of the foothills, his jaw dropping.  He saw large brown creatures lumbering slowly along, but too distant to make out any specific features.  He’d need to get the scope from the ship and…

His eye caught Obi-Wan’s empty bedroll, neatly folded nearby.  Damn, had he wondered off again?  Anakin groaned in frustration.  Those unknown creatures woke him from a very pleasant dream of Padme, his wife lying next to him, her smooth, skilled hands working their way up and down his body.  And instead of awakening to her warm sweet softness beside him, he awoke in this awful predicament with Obi-Wan missing.

Mumbling curses under his breath, he got out of bed and dressed.  First he’d need to find Obi-Wan, and then find a bell to put around the Jedi Master’s neck so he wouldn’t wonder off again without Anakin knowing.  As he grabbed his lightsaber, he looked up to see Obi-Wan emerging from the nearby woods, excitedly hurrying toward him.

“Anakin,” he called, finally reaching the ship and their campsite.  “I have to tell you…”

“Kriff, Obi-Wan!  You can’t keep doing that.  We have to figure out how to get home, and you’re just leaving, going off to play in the woods.  What is the matter with you!?  You’re acting really weird and…”

“Humans!  There are humans on this world!”

Anakin stopped, his mouth hanging open.  Humans?  How could that be?  He listened as Obi-Wan recounted what he saw. 

“They must be pre-hyperspace technology.  There weren’t any ships in orbit,” Anakin said thoughtfully, his anger at Obi-Wan disappearing, his mind puzzling over this new information.

“Pre a lot of technology, would be my guess,” Obi-Wan said, sounding exuberant.  “We should go back.  Maybe try to find them.  Or at least get some fish for lunch.”

“No,” said Anakin, shaking his head.  “What if they’re hostile?”

“But what if they’re not?” Obi-Wan argued, then his eyes left Anakin’s for the distant animals.  “What are those?”

Obi-Wan dashed into the transport, grinning like a child on his birthday, and Anakin heard him rummaging around. 

“Where is the scope?” he called.

But Anakin’s attention turned to the ground, which was wet around the ship, the smell of fuel reaching his nostrils.

A leak!

“Obi-Wan!  The ship!  The rear tank is leaking!” Anakin cried.  No, this couldn’t possibly get any worse.  With only one tank of fuel, and that one not even full, they had no chance of returning home.

Obi-Wan reemerged, and the two men stared at the spilled fuel.  Anakin could feel the rage and frustration flowing through his veins like fire.  He stared at the ground in deep anger, blinded by this new misfortune.  Obi-Wan’s hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts.

“What?” he snapped at Obi-Wan.

His friend took a step back, looking concerned, the giddy, childish behavior gone and replaced by his usual comforting and steadfast Jedi self.

“Calm down, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said mildly.  “There has to be something here on this world we can use for fuel.  Let’s problem solve.  But you were right, we don’t know if the people are hostile or not, so let’s re-park the transport.  Maybe in those foothills.  There’s bound to be caves.  Then we can explore.  Look for an alternative fuel.”  He paused, and Anakin could feel Obi-Wan sending out a serenity toward him in the Force, as he’d often done in the past.  He could feel himself calming.  Finally, Anakin nodded.

Packing everything up, the two men entered the ship, Anakin then piloting it toward the foothills to hide

 

 


	4. Hunted

**Chapter Four**

**Hunted**

Anakin adjusted the pack on his back and sighed heavily, already tired of the landscape.  They’d been walking for only an hour, but he already felt the need to hurry, move faster, find a fuel alternative to get off the planet, out of this galaxy, and back home, to Padme. 

            By nightfall the previous evening, they’d found a cave in the foothills and hid the small ship inside.  After spending the night, they’d packed up supplies, ate a quick breakfast, and headed out to explore.  While the distant mountains loomed, the glaciers glistening in the morning sunlight, they’d entered a forested area, not too dense, possibly due to the colder climate.  Still, his Jedi robes kept the chill from him.

            His mind ran with possible alternatives for fuel.  Maybe a combination of minerals, broken down.  Maybe something hydro-based, as this world seemed abundant in water.  He’d been working on ships his entire life, he could figure something out.

            Obi-Wan, walking behind him, remained quiet most of the time.  In fact, the Jedi Master seemed distinctly distracted, and Anakin continued to worry.  The night before, Anakin bunked down in the ship, and he awoke in the middle of the night to relieve himself to find Obi-Wan relocated outside, lying on his back, looking at the stars.

            The silence now, as they walked along, became almost deafening, and finally, Anakin couldn’t stand it anymore.

            “So, um, other than the Council, what else is new with you?” asked Anakin, his voice seeming loud after the quiet.

            “Just the war, Anakin,” said Obi-Wan, sounding slightly weary, his usual tone whenever Anakin did something irritating.

            “I mean personally,” Anakin said.

            “Nothing of note,” Obi-Wan answered.

            Anakin glanced around to see him looking up at the trees that towered overhead.  A bird seemed to be in the distance, gathering his attention.

            “Oh…yes, I did find a text in the Jedi library on ancient fight techniques, ones we haven’t used in a while.  Perhaps practice if I ever get some down time,” Obi-Wan said.  “Oh, and I discovered a new drink at the tapcaf across from the Temple.  A little spicy.  Different. Quite tasty indeed.”

            Anakin wanted to groan, tear at his hair, and scream at Obi-Wan.  Obi-Wan always seemed to be in official Jedi Master mode lately.  In fact, Anakin, who considered Obi-Wan a brother, his best friend, could not remember a time of late when the two men spoke candidly, just two guys.  Desperately needing to talk about things, Anakin threw his usual caution to the wind.  If Obi-Wan refused to get personal, Anakin would.

            “I’ve gotta say, I’m really glad to know you know about Padme and I,” he said.    

            “Oh…why?”

            “Just, well, nobody else knows,” he said.  “Wait…do they?”

            “As far as I know, I’m the only one,” Obi-Wan said, sounding disinterested.

            “I mean, it’s kind of fun sneaking around.  Clandestine meetings can be sexy, you know,” Anakin laughed.

            “I suspect so.”

            “We were supposed to have leave after this run.  Ahsoka was doing some training with the other padawans.  Padme and I were going to the northern pole, to one of those snow resorts, nice cozy cabin, warm fire,” Anakin sighed, images of Padme and him naked under warm blankets making him aroused and dreamy.  “We got married just as the Clone Wars began.  No time for us really.”

            “How inconvenient.”

            Obi-Wan said it so matter-of-factly, Anakin could not tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

            “And I was supposed to have lunch with Chancellor Palpatine when I returned,” Anakin said, suddenly remembering the appointment.  He’d been seeing the Chancellor on a regular basis for several years now, considering the man to be one of his mentors.  He often found Palpatine easier to talk to than Obi-Wan.

            “Hmmm, how pleasant the Chancellor can still find a moment for a casual lunch during these troubled times,” Obi-Wan said.

            Definite sarcasm, Anakin thought bitterly, but he decided to brush it aside.

            “Master Yoda seems to think…” Anakin began but Obi-Wan spoke at the same time.

            “We should split up.”

            “What?” asked Anakin, finally stopping and turning around.

            Obi-Wan stood looking at him, his expression impossible to read.  Tired, perhaps a little angry, Anakin felt unsure.  He felt a shift in Obi-Wan over the past few days, but when Anakin reached out in the Force toward his friend, he felt blocked completely.

            “Why?” said quietly.

            “We would cover more ground,” Obi-Wan said, moving his pack in front of him and removing a device.  Location trackers.  He moved toward one of the trees and attached it to the trunk.  “Program the code into your data pad.  We’ll meet back here in three days’ time. Okay?”

            “But Master, don’t you think…”

            “I think we need to get home, and we would travel twice the distance if we split up,” Obi-Wan said looking at Anakin steadily.  “Don’t you agree?”

            Anakin studied Obi-Wan carefully, then nodded.

            Five minutes passed as they set their data pads with the location code, shifted around rations so each had an equal amount, and decided which direction to take.  Anakin felt more and more uneasy with each passing moment.  With Obi-Wan’s strange behavior since coming to this new system, he worried for his safety.  Yet, the look Obi-Wan gave him as they said their good-byes informed Anakin any argument would be futile.

            Thus, the two men parted.  After walking several meters, Anakin turned to look at Obi-Wan, marching away at a steady pace.  He waited for the man to turn around to wave, but Obi-Wan disappeared around the bend without a backwards glance.  Suddenly feeling another substantial lose hit him, like he felt over Padme when he first arrived, he turned and moved on his way into the forest, now alone with his thoughts.

            Obi-Wan walked, each step away from Anakin lightening his spirits more and more, until he was grinning at the trees around him, happily breathing in the fresh, cool air, so clean from the blue glaciers he occasionally glanced through the thin tree line.

            Why did Anakin continually have to prattle on and on?  Couldn’t he just enjoy the moment?  And did they have to talk about Padme, of all things?  Just because Obi-Wan knew did not mean he approved.  In fact, while he admired Padme in the past, her bravery, her convictions in the Senate, learning about her and Anakin made him lose respect for her.  So careless, her and Anakin both.  So disappointing.

            And then Anakin brings up the Chancellor, and Obi-Wan felt a twinge of anger hit him again.  He did not trust the man and, in all honesty, felt a bit of jealousy seeing the positive relationship Anakin had with Palpatine over the years. 

            Obi-Wan also couldn’t help but wonder about Anakin’s intimacy with Padme and the Chancellor’s association with the senator’s family back on Naboo.  Everything seemed connected in a way that Obi-Wan could not see.  He thought of a recent conversation with Yoda about the events that brought Anakin to the Temple years ago, the politics of Naboo, the death of Qui-Gon, Palpatine gaining power.  Everything seemed related, but neither he nor the little Jedi Master could figure out the web. 

            Simply, Obi-Wan and the rest of the Council did not trust Chancellor Palpatine.

            Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks and shook his head.  Palpatine, Padme, the Clone Wars…twenty million light years away.  No need to worry at this point in time.  Obi-Wan knew he’d been granted some much needed shore leave, in an unusual way of course, but he already felt a level of depth with this strange new world, and he longed to explore more.  Pushing Anakin out of his head completely, he reveled in the moment, the smell and sound of trees filling his senses and clearing his mind. 

            On he walked, eventually coming to the edge of a cliff.  Looking down, he saw a deep ravine, a violently rushing river below.  On the other side, the forest continued.  Sitting down on a rock, he pulled out a protein bar and ate, enjoying the chilly sunny day.  He’d seen a variety of bird and small rodent life already, and he hoped he would encounter the humans again, at a distance of course.  He puzzled over the existence of humans in this far away galaxy, and he wondered if they were the only sentient life on the world.  They’d seen vast oceans upon their arrival; what could possibly lurk beneath those waters?

            Obi-Wan suddenly realized the fallacy of splitting up – he had no idea what to search for in terms of alternative fuel.  Anakin was the expert in the ship department, and he merely wanted to get away from the younger man.  Standing and heading out again, his path now hugging the area between the forest and the cliff side, he saw how utterly illogical this was, very un-Kenobi. 

            But goodness, to be alone in this wonderful place.  And when had Obi-Wan ever been alone, off on his own, enjoying the moment?  Enjoying anything for that matter.  Obi-Wan couldn’t remember.  How glorious to be walking outside, in the fresh air, alone.

            Only he wasn’t alone.

            Obi-Wan stopped, his danger sense lighting up all his nerves.  Someone watched him.  No…several beings.  Malicious, but non-sentient.  Stalking him.

            He was being hunted.

            A piercing howl penetrated the quiet of the forest, which would sound beautiful if he didn’t know it belonged to the hunters.  And then he saw them, at least six…no, nine…maybe.  Large canine creatures, moving in a pack out of the woods, on all-fours, sharp teeth bared.  They might have been as tall as him had they stood on their hind legs, a few larger.  Their thick fur the color of their surroundings, browns and greys, appeared matted with foliage.  They came towards him slowly, Obi-Wan realizing he was surrounded on three sides, the cliff and sheer drop to the ravine the only way out. 

            Foolish creatures, Obi-Wan grinned, unclipping and igniting his lightsaber with a snap-hiss.  At this, the animals froze, and they all stared at Obi-Wan, growling.  Finally, the ones directly in front of him pounced. 

            Obi-Wan cut the first down immediately, slicing the creature in two, but was knocked to the ground by two from behind that leaped on his back.  Shrugging off the pack and flinging the creatures back with the Force, he cursed.  The Force felt so different here, and he hadn’t spent enough time learning how to manipulate objects in this new environment.  One of the canines he’d thrown immediately lunged again and slashed Obi-Wan’s sword-arm with a long clawed paw, breaking through his tunic and drawing blood.  Dropping the lightsaber in surprise and pain, he reached out his other hand to throw the oncoming animals aside, one sliding off the cliff into the ravine.

            At this, several of the animals turned tail and ran, but one approached, Obi-Wan backing up, gripping his bloody arm, until the drop-off loomed directly behind him.  His lightsaber lie several yards away in the grass. 

            Reaching out again, he felt a surge in the Force, ready to throw the animal back into the woods.  But before he could act, the shouting of a man caught his and the creature’s attention, and Obi-Wan watched as a human dressed in furs approached, throwing a spear hard, directly through the beast.  The animal dropped to the ground, dead.

            The man approached Obi-Wan, shock on his face.  Obi-Wan noticed he looked distinctly different than the other humans he’d seen.  His skin darker, almost described as ebony, with a wave of thick white hair on his head, he appeared about the same age as Obi-Wan.  The man stopped in front of the lightsaber, picking it up.  He studied the hilt in his hand, before looking up again at Obi-Wan. 

            “You’re a Jedi,” he said in Basic.

            Obi-Wan stared, dumbfounded.  He spoke the language of the home galaxy, knew the term Jedi.

            “Who are…” Obi-Wan started to say, but a loud crack sounded.

            “No!  Wait…you need to…” the man began, dashing toward him, his arm outstretched, puzzling Obi-Wan for a moment.

            Then the ground fell from beneath him as the edge of the cliff he’d been standing on cracked and gave way.  Obi-Wan plummeted toward the rushing river, briefly having the presence of mind to use the Force to push himself slightly away from the rock wall in order not to severely damage his body.  Still, when he hit the ice-cold water of the river, he felt the air knocked completely out of him as the water engulfed him.

            Desperately swimming to the surface, gasping for air, he had no time to consider the fall as the swift current took him quickly along.  His body banged against rocks and logs, and he plummeted down a small waterfall.  He felt dizzy from hitting the water, but focused on his surroundings, trying to find something to grab onto, to stop his hazardous journey.  And stop he did, suddenly.  His body submerged again, pulled underwater, and he couldn’t get himself away.  Opening his eyes in the water, his pupils hurting from the dirt and the pressure, he looked back to see his cloak caught on the branch of a fallen tree, wedged between two large rocks.  He slipped out of his cloak and resurfaced, the current again whisking him away, his cloak soon long gone.

            Knocked around more, Obi-Wan finally used all his strength to grab onto a tree protruding into the water from the shore, apparently recently fallen, as some of the roots still remained in the ground.  Pulling himself along the length of the tree, he dragged his body to shore, crawling on his knees away from the water before falling onto his back, exhausted and wounded. 

Painfully sitting up, he took assessment of his well-being. The slash the canine gave him still bled, and he seemed to have acquired another cut on his upper left thigh, his pants now drenched with blood.  He also felt bruised all over his body, but thankfully, nothing seemed broken. 

His lightsaber, pack with supplies, cloak…gone.  Nothing but his clothing, but that was drenched in cold water.  And everything hurt.

Confusion set in.  That man spoke to him in Basic!  Recognized a Jedi!  What in the world was going on here?

Fatigue began to overpower him, and the weight of his danger set in – he was badly hurt and alone.  How foolish to separate from Anakin.  And he’d lost the location tracker as well, at the bottom of the river in his cloak, which could be anywhere by now.

But he knew a healing meditation he could do, at least for a bit, to regain strength.  Tearing off a bit of his tunic to suppress the bleeding on both his thigh and arm, he surveyed his surroundings, finding himself on a small shore, pebbles beneath him.  He could not sense any predators about.  Placing his head back down, spreading out his limbs, he reached out to the Force, slipping into a trance, calming his body, using the molecules in the air to warm his chilled flesh.  He remained on the surface for some time, attempting to heal but also protect himself from other outside dangers.  His body soon demanded more, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

           

 


	5. Fireside

**Chapter Five**

**Fireside**

Obi-Wan gained consciousness slowly, feeling a deep sense of serenity.

            I must be dead, he thought, remembering the incident with the carnivores and the river. He always thought one would feel peacefulness when one joined the Force.

            But soon wonderful smells reached him, the scent of burning wood, of food.  And he felt his stomach growl.  Did one feel hunger when dead?  Where did one procure food in this afterlife?  Such strange thoughts…

            Then, an awareness of his body came to him, and he discovered he was naked, but wrapped in something warm.  Comfortable, soft.  A blanket perhaps.  His head lie on something soft as well.  Only his face shown to the world, and he felt a cool breeze pass over him.  The memory of his injuries filled his mind, the deep gash from the canine’s claw on his arm, the cut from the rocks on his thigh, and he sluggishly moved his hands over the areas.  Yes, he was completely nude, but the wounds had been treated, some sort of sticky substance on them, leaves covering the openings.  No pain, numbness.

            He stopped moving as sound now arrived.  He heard the crackle of a fire, the rushing of the river, and singing.  Yes, someone singing in words he did not know.  In fact, he did not recognize one utterance.  The voice…a woman.  Lovely to listen to, but she stopped and talked for a moment.  He strained, trying to hear someone respond, but then she began to sing again. 

            Finally, Obi-Wan opened his eyes, the lids heavy with sleep.  Darkness filled the sky, and he could make out stars.  Turning his head slightly, he saw the fire, small but effective.  Some sort of cooking set up, a bowl with food nearby.  His stomach growled again.

            More singing.  His gaze left the food and found the source of the song.  A woman dressed in a heavy tunic and pants, all made of hides and fur, sat cross-legged in front of the flames, singing and moving her arms and hands in a fluid and captivating way.  In fact, the rise and fall of her hands seemed to match her vocal inflection.  She stopped abruptly, shaking her head and speaking plainly, before resuming her song. 

            Moving his neck slowly, Obi-Wan saw no one else about, but he did discover his clothing, torn and tattered, but drying, laid out on a nearby rock.  Had she removed the damp clothing to treat his wounds, then wrap him in the warm fur?  Such strength.

            He turned again to study the woman.  She looked like the other humans he’d seen in the woods, bronze skin, long black hair.  She seemed a bit shorter than him, but this was hard to tell with her sitting.  She continued her song as she stirred the food, putting it over the fire, dangling from a stick as not to burn her hands.  After several moments, she put down the food, then laughed, beginning the song again, although it sounded quite different this time, similar words, different melody.  Was she rehearsing something?

            He watched her for a long time, feeling the serenity set in again as her voice filled the night, her movements almost putting him in a trance.  When she stopped again to stir the food, he suddenly felt ashamed.  She probably thought he was still unconscious, practicing her song without an audience.

            He cleared his throat.  “Hello there,” he said pleasantly.

            The woman turned sharply, and her eyes met his.  Obi-Wan felt his breath knocked out of him, although he hadn’t exerted himself physically.  From the firelight, he saw her eyes to be a deep brown, and the fire shown on only half her face as a broad smile stretched across it.  She moved over to his side, speaking quickly. 

            “I’m…I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” he said, feeling immediately foolish.  She most likely didn’t understand him as well.

            She knelt beside him, placing her hand on his cheek, leaning forward to look in his eyes.  The warmth of her hand, the intensity of her gaze, her breath touching his lips as she leaned close made his whole being light up. 

            She leaned back and said something, sounding like a question.  He shook his head.  The woman shook her head and laughed, a wonderful sound, especially after the terror he experienced earlier in the day, and he joined her, realizing he had not laughed, genuinely laughed, in a long time.  They may not be able to understand each other’s words, but laughter offered a connection. 

            She moved around and opened his wrap a little ways to reveal his wounded arm.  She removed the leaves covering the cut and nodded, looking up to smile at him.  All must be well, he thought.  But he knew this.  Between his healing meditation and her obvious care, he felt no pain and knew through briefly touching his cells with the Force he would heal nicely, with scarring of course.  She replaced the leaves, then whipped back the other side of the blanket, revealing his cut thigh as well as his private area, the cold air shocking him.

            The woman examined this cut as she’d done the other, one of her hands holding the inside of his thigh as her brow furrowed.  She reached into a pocket and pulled out a small container, which she opened to reveal some of the sticky serum she’d used earlier.  Perhaps this planet’s version of bacta?  Gently, with her fingers, she added some to his cut, her other hand once again returning to his inner thigh to hold his leg still.

            Despite the cold, and to Obi-Wan’s absolute mortification, he felt himself beginning to harden in his loins.  Hoping she wouldn’t notice, he used the Force to calm himself, but for once, this failed.  She paused in her work, her gaze leaving the wound, drifting upwards.  Quickly, he grabbed the discarded leaves, slapped them on the gash, which made him grit his teeth in pain, and threw the blanket back around him.  When he looked at the woman again, she sat on her knees, a blush on her cheeks, her fingers pressed to her lips, obviously trying to stifle a smile.

            “I’m…I’m quite sorry, miss,” he stammered, knowing his face to be red.  He wanted to disappear completely.

            She then laughed, stood, and returned to the fire, grabbing the plate of food. Returning, she handed it to him, motioning that he should eat.

            He looked down to see chunks of roasted meat, the smell practically making him swoon with hunger.  Using his fingers, he grabbed a piece and ate, the meat warm, tender, delicious.

            He ate greedily before realizing she simply sat watching.  Offering the plate back to her, he nodded and smiled, hoping this would indicate his gratitude.  She motioned for him to keep eating and returned to tend to the fire.

            “I cannot thank you enough for helping me,” he said, finishing the food, starting to feel comfortable again after the brief embarrassment.

            Taking the plate, the woman moved toward the river to wash the cooking dishes. 

            “I’m stronger now.  I can help with the…” he began, but she put the dishes on the ground, once again kneeled next to him, and with both her hands on both his shoulders, pushed him back down to lie once again.

            Her long black hair fell forward, brushing him in the face.  She smelled of the woods, and the silkiness of her hair in his face made him pleasantly drowsy.  She spoke to him, a rather long statement he wished more than anything he could understand.  When he didn’t respond, she placed her palm on his forehead and moved it down softly over his eyes, closing her eyes as she did so.

            He understood.  Rest.  Sleep.  Heal.

            “Thank you,” he said softly.

            She moved away to clean up, then resumed her spot by the fire.  As he began to doze, full of food, healing, warm, and safe, her voice once again filled the night with song.

            Miles and miles away, Anakin continued walking into the darkness, not feeling the least bit tired.  By mid-afternoon, he’d arrived in a tundra area, the ground hard with permafrost, the trees more and more spread apart.  He’d come across no creatures, no people, and, most importantly, no alternative fuel.  His mind churned about ways to get the ship flying again with the materials in the landscape.

            After walking for several hours alone that afternoon, he began to feel the charm of the world, and if he didn’t have someone waiting for him back home, he might be enjoying himself as Obi-Wan seemed to, instead of in a raw state of panic.  After the chaos of the Clone Wars, the fresh air, solitude, and the sheer fact no one in their galaxy had been here before provided almost endless opportunities.  Anakin always liked to explore, but the terror of being so far from Padme kept himself from giving in to the adventure completely.

            He thought back to the conversation with Obi-Wan, to the point where the older man suggested they separate.  He’d mentioned Palpatine.  Anakin sighed.  He seemed to be the only one at the Temple who trusted the man.  No matter.  Palpatine didn’t seem to overtly seek the approval of the Council and Anakin respected that, as he forever seemed to be at odds with the elder members of the Jedi, even Obi-Wan on occasion.

            As Obi-Wan came back into his mind, Anakin felt a twinge of pity for his friend.  Anakin had his friendship with Palpatine and now even his new padawan Ahsoka, comrades at the Temple, and above all Padme, beautiful, kind Padme.  Obi-Wan lived for the Jedi, as long as Anakin knew him.  And he seemed happy with this, whereas Anakin wanted more. But of course, Anakin knew more about the real galaxy than Obi-Wan; he’d lived in harsh reality for the first several years of his life, knew family in a way Obi-Wan never did or could.

            Still, he respected Obi-Wan as a friend, brother, and fellow Jedi, and he knew the man worked harder than anyone he ever met.  He’d gone from a padawan to a knight with a rather difficult task: training the Chosen One.  And now he was a master and a general, always moving, always planning, always fighting.  The man was non-stop.

            No wonder Obi-Wan seemed to check out when he came here, been distracted.  He needed a break, and the further Anakin walked from his former master, the more sympathetic he felt.  If being stranded in a galaxy far away gave Obi-Wan a chance to relax, so be it.

            And although he knew Obi-Wan didn’t approve, he also didn’t lecture Anakin about Padme.  Anakin appreciated this and reminded himself he would need to express this gratitude to Obi-Wan, as he felt more and more often recently he’d never really been appreciative of his friend’s training, patience, and love.

            But obviously, Obi-Wan did not know about Anakin’s other secret, much darker, one that plagued his heart in the fact he still felt no remorse for his actions.  His mother.  The Sand People.  His hate.  His anger…

            He pushed these thoughts aside and walked on, turning his mind back to the problem at hand.

            Now, into the late evening, he felt he should stop for the night and get some rest.  The forest slowly became denser, the tundra giving way to softer ground.  He heard the occasional bird, but could sense nothing in the way of animals, or threats, around.  He settled on the ground, his back against a tree.  Although he could use the Force to keep himself warm, he built a small fire, perhaps for something to do and to keep himself company.

            Staring into the flames, he recalled a recent evening with Padme in front of the fireplace at home, her leaning against him on the sofa, soft, sleepy, peaceful, the world of the Clone Wars, the Senate light years away.  He shook his head sadly.  Yes, that world was now twenty million light years away, Padme with it.

            The fire then brought up another memory.  His mother, the tent in which she died.  The small fires of the Sand People, burning as he slaughtered them all.  Standing in a quick movement, he stamped out the flames with his boot, returning to lean against the tree, his heart racing.

            He stared at the sky through the trees, the stars shining in the clear night, wondering if any of the bright lights above could be home.

 

 


	6. Through the Forest

**Chapter Six**

**Through the Forest**

            Anakin woke his first morning alone having slept poorly throughout the night.  Stiff necked, he rose from his place leaning against the tree, stretched, gathered his things, and began his trek again through the forest, eating a ration for breakfast.

            He saw nothing to help him get the ship up and running for their journey home.  Still, the quiet of the woods allowed his mind to work, and he began to develop a plan.

            Solar power might be the best option.  This world had a lot of metal resources.  While he hadn’t been able to use his mechanical skills in years, he’d built droids and worked on starships before; he could figure things out.  As his mind worked out how to best use the metals available, he realized this might take him a while, Obi-Wan not the one with this skill set.  Nevertheless, if they worked together, they could get it done and back home.

            Padme.  Yes, to Padme.  His thoughts drifted from the problem of the ship to the last few days he’d spent with her.  He’d slunk away from the Temple, where he’d been given a couple days leave, to her flat.  Theirs, actually, but hers in name.  As he came through the door in the early evening, he found her sitting on the balcony, staring into the cityscape.

            “Hard day at the Senate?” he asked, plopping down next to her, his cloak cast aside. 

            She shook her head.  “I don’t want to think about it, Anakin.  Just…grrr.”

            He laughed good-heartedly, leaning into her, nuzzling her hair, his nose hitting some sort of metal barrette.  Did she always need to dress up so much?  He preferred her hair down so he could run his fingers through it, liked her wearing a simple tunic rather than layers and layers of skirts and robes.  That’s how he’d first met her, simple Padme, and he loved that version best.

            He began to remove what seemed to be the endless number of clips from her hair slowly, kissing her neck.

            “We have all day tomorrow, Padme,” he said in her ear.  “We can…”

            “No,” she said firmly.  “I have a budget meeting about the war and…”

            “No,” he said, matching her firmness.  “You have a husband to spend time with and…”

            “Anakin, with the war going on and…oh that feels good,” she said, leaning forward as he massaged her neck.

            “You will skip the budget meeting,” he said, pouring persuasion into his voice.

            “Don’t you Jedi mind trick me,” she laughed, getting up and whisking back into the room.

            Anakin shrugged.  Obi-Wan always out did him on the mind trick anyway.

            Padme turned circles around their living room.  “I just need to calm down.  Relax.”

            “I know a way,” Anakin said, stopping her parade around the room, grabbing her at the waist. 

            “Oh Annie, it would be terrible.  I’m so distracted and…” she glanced at their kitchen and walked in, opening one of the drawers in which they often threw random items not fitting anywhere else.  She pulled out a sabacc deck.  “Bail taught me a new form of sabacc today and…”

            “So you sit in the Senate and play cards and this is stressful?” Anakin asked with a raised eyebrow.

            “When a Wookie tries to filibuster for three hours in the morning and his translator droid breaks down after the first hour…um, yes,” she said, sitting down at their caf table, Anakin taking a seat across.

            She explained the version, a new variation on Bespin Rules.

            “Let’s make it interesting,” Anakin said.  “Whoever loses the hand removes an article of clothing.” He grinned broadly at her and was rewarded with a delightful laugh.

            “You are quite the cad this evening,” she said.

            “When you spend all day at the Jedi Temple, knowing a beautiful woman is waiting for you at home in the evening, you tend to do anything to get under her robes,” Anakin said.

            “All right,” she smiled. 

            They played, and after an hour, Anakin sat in only his underwear, Padme still wearing quite a bit, a long tunic and pants she’d worn under a dress and her robes.  He glared at her as she giggled.

            “Why must you wear so much?” he asked in mock anger.

            “General Skywalker, one must never ask a lady…ooohhhh,” she cried as he stood and swept her into his arms.

            “Enough of this,” he said, looking lovingly into her eyes.  “I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

            Padme smiled at him as they fell together onto their bed.  She called in sick for the budget meeting the next day.

            Anakin grinned at the memory as he continued his trek in the woods.  He missed Padme so much, his spirit burned and stomach churned.  He’d never been this far from her…Force, nobody’d ever been this far from anyone.

            Shaking thoughts of Padme to the back of his brain, he continued his plans for solar power, finally sitting down on a rock in the woods, pulling out his data pad, and writing up schematics.  Yes, this would work.  He’d seen the minerals he needed along the trail.  He’d return to the tree to meet Obi-Wan and…

            Voices brought him out of his inner monologue, and he looked up, concentrating.  Then, moving slowly and stealthily through the woods, he found them, a group of humans a little distance away at the bottom of a small hill, working their way through the trees.  Three men and a child, about eight or nine by Anakin’s reckoning.  They were much how Obi-Wan described from his encounter and two of the men appeared to be younger, with the third older, black hair greying.  They carried spears and knives and spoke quietly as they moved.

            Curious and fascinated by them, Anakin shadowed the humans silently, moving parallel to them along his hill.  After about twenty minutes of this, the humans froze and separated, quietly crouching down and taking various positions.  Anakin looked in the direction of their focus to see a group of large hoofed four-legged beasts, grazing on foliage from the forest floor.  Beautiful creatures indeed, their brown fur helped them blend in with their surroundings, but their height, above five feet, made them majestic to watch.  The humans went unnoticed by the animals, and Anakin realized he was witnessing a hunting party.  Moving a bit closer, using the Force to lighten his step, he slipped behind a tree to get a good view. 

            The human child moved away from the adults, walking in Anakin’s direction.  Concerned he’d be found out, Anakin began to retreat.  Suddenly, one of the beasts, a giant with huge antlers on its head, moved from the underbrush, quite undetected by the hunters, and began a charge toward the child.  Without thinking, Anakin ran from his hiding spot, simultaneously using the Force to push the large creature back while tackling the child to the ground.

            The child screamed in terror and confusion as the hunters ran toward the antlered beast, attacking with their spears, the rest of the herd darting away.  The animal didn’t have a chance, having already been discombobulated by Anakin’s Force shove.  One of the men ran back to the child, falling quickly to the ground and grabbing the child in a tight embrace.  The man spoke rapidly to Anakin, who didn’t understand a word.  The three got to their feet together, the other two hunters joining, having brought down the animal, their spears bloodied.

            The four humans stood studying the Jedi, who realized he looked quite different from them, from his dress to his skin color.  But as they regarded him, he got a good look at them, finding them a strong people.  Finally, the child moved toward him and wrapped his arms around Anakin’s torso in an embrace, and the other humans laughed and smiled, descending upon Anakin in embraces as well, their jovial voices matching the smiles on their faces.

            Anakin simply smiled back and began to move back toward the hill in retreat, unsure how to interact with these new people.  But they pulled him back and as two began butchering the creature, the oldest and the child began putting together a camp, continuing to push Anakin back down when he rose to leave. 

            He watched as they took the animal apart, putting aside the hide, the meat, even the bones.  They packed up most but put a little meat to the side as the older man built the fire.  The child sat down and talked animatedly to Anakin, and then the men working on the animal walked over, smelling of blood and dirt, and handed Anakin one of the antlers from the beast’s head, a rather large, impressive rack.  The humans all cheered, Anakin not knowing what to do except join them.

            Anakin soon realized they wanted to treat him to dinner, and from the smell of things when they began cooking, he would have a hard time resisting indeed.  He settled down to listen to more talk from the child, holding the antler, wondering if Obi-Wan was having as interesting a time as him.

            That same afternoon, Obi-Wan stared at the assortment of items placed before him.

            “Hmmmm…rock…fish…stick…glove…rope,” he listed in the language of this new world, looking up at the woman who sat next to him.

            She smiled widely.  “Yes!  Good, Obi-Wan,” she said.

            Obi-Wan could not help but grin back.  He loved when she said his name, the vowels rolling off her tongue like a melody, matching the singing voice he heard the night before.

            Neah.  Her name was Neah, and she saved him, healed him.  And he found her absolutely fascinating.

            He’d awoken mid-morning, feeling much better, no dizziness or pain.  He sat up, looking around, remembering the night before, the food, his bit of embarrassment, her singing.  He saw her standing near the river, filling a container with water, a platter of fish nearby.  As her back was turned to him, he took the moment to dress back in his tunic, pants, and boots, all dry, even the tears repaired.  Folding up the fur blanket nicely, he walked sure-footed to where she stood.

            “Good morning,” he said.

            She spoke back, and Obi-Wan knew he needed to figure out her language, communicate.  He raised a hand to stop her talking, and she did, giggling.  Finally, she placed a palm on her chest, over her heart.

            “Neah,” she said slowly, enunciating the sounds.

            “Neah,” he repeated.  He placed his own hand over his heart.  “Obi-Wan.”

            Her brow furrowed.  “Obi-Wan?” she said hesitantly.

            “Obi-Wan,” he repeated.

            She placed both her hands on the sides of his face.  “Obi-Wan,” she said firmly, her voice and touch making him warm all over.

            The next several hours the duo spent going back and forth with words, Obi-Wan all but demanding to learn all the words he could, the structure of sentences, of conversation.  They used sticks to draw things in the muddy sand by the river.  He opened up a part of his mind he hadn’t used in years, his language center which Qui-Gon taught him to use when learning new tongues.  His master often needed to help species negotiate who could not speak Basic, and he’d learned languages quickly and well.  He’d taught this skill to Obi-Wan, and the Jedi used it now, finding the language far easier to grasp than some others he encountered.  He remembered a time he went with Qui-Gon to help develop peace terms between two insectoid races, who used a series of high-pitched whines and the rubbing of limbs together to communicate.  Learning another human tongue proved far less challenging, and the Force allowed him to absorb the language quickly.

            Neah seemed impressed at his grasp of her words, of course not knowing he had quite an advantage, and Obi-Wan found her patient and kind about his frequent mistakes.  He wondered about her, how she came to be alone.  He tried to ask, and she drew something in the dirt that looked like a family dynamic, the sexes indicated in her drawing.

            “Brother,” she said, then frowned.  “Dead.  Moons ago.”

            Obi-Wan nodded, guessing she traveled with her brother, and he’d been killed.  He wasn’t sure what a moon had to do with anything. 

She pointed to his claw gash, and he drew the carnivore in the sand.

            She nodded.  “Wolf.” She paused.  “My brother too.”  She walked over to her pile of things and extracted a fur and hide coat like the one she wore.  “He is gone.  Take this.  Your clothing is too cold.”

            The coat was wonderfully cozy, like the blanket.  He didn’t miss his Jedi cloak in the least.

            “Thank you,” he said.

            Now late afternoon, she quizzed him on words, teasing him playfully, Obi-Wan having an absolutely delightful time.  As she doted on him the previous evening, he insisted on cooking the fish, and when the rain began during their meal, and she gathered together a small hide covering and some nearby logs, he grabbed these from her and erected a small tent, walls on three sides, another facing out.  Quite cozy, their shoulders touched as they sat side-by-side in the dying daylight.

            “Tomorrow I need to move on,” she said.  “I am expected in the valley lands by the new moon.  Will you come?”

            Obi-Wan knew he needed to find his way back to Anakin, that the young man might be worried.  “I need to find my…brother,” he said, not knowing the word for friend.  Brother seemed to work perfectly, at any rate.

            “I head in the opposite direction of the river flow,” she explained.  “We will look for the spot you fell from, and you can find your way from there.”

            Obi-Wan nodded, pouring gratitude into his look.  Of course, he could not remember from which side of the river he fell, but he knew he needed to head in the opposite direction of the current.  He remembered a waterfall, some rapids…

            But he felt more curious about her journey.  The valley lands?  Why was she expected there?  Why had her and her brother been traveling?  Was she always alone now?  Where did her people live?  What was she doing the night before when she sang and gestured?  Preparing for a performance?  And she seemed to trust him.  Why?  Unfortunately, he did not know how to ask these questions yet, still much better at understanding than speaking.  He’d have more time with her nonetheless, and the thought made his heart light.

            Later on, they laid down to sleep next to one another, sharing the fur blanket.  She fell asleep quickly, lying on her side facing him.  He watched her calm expression, listening to the patter of the rain on the hide tent.  Raising his hand automatically to place his palm on her face, as she had done earlier when she said his name for the first time, he stopped himself suddenly, and turned quickly away from her. 

            What was he doing?  This was ridiculous; he was a Jedi Master!  He couldn’t just romance this woman, even if his body betrayed that resolve like the previous evening.  But he couldn’t remember a time he’d been happy like this, not in years to be honest.  Obi-Wan felt he should feel more bothered by the peril he’d gotten himself into, but he simply felt glad to be around this interesting and lovely person in such a beautiful place. 

And of course he found her attractive.  Neah was the type of woman he always found attractive: strong, kind, humorous.  And she helped him when he’d been vulnerable.  But he needed to let those feelings go.

In order to move on from thoughts of her and their happy afternoon drawing in the dirt in the fresh crisp air, learning words and laughing, he thought of the man who’d approached him just before his fall into the river.  The man who knew him as a Jedi, who picked up his lightsaber, who spoke Basic.  Such a mystery.  Would he see the man again?  And he’d grown quite fond of that particular lightsaber; would he get it back?

Obi-Wan turned back on his other side, where he usually fell asleep best, and found himself looking at Neah again, her silky black hair falling in her face as she breathed steadily.  He allowed himself to sink into thoughts of her, wondering if he would be out of place asking her to sing for him tomorrow.

            

           

 

 


	7. From Beyond

**Chapter Seven**

**From Beyond**

            Nothing looked familiar to Obi-Wan as he and Neah walked along the cliff hugging the ravine, the river far below.  That morning they rose early and packed up supplies, Obi-Wan demanding to carry more than half to repay Neah’s quality care.  After arguing back and forth, the woman insisting she always carried her own things with little trouble, Obi-Wan snatched up the large pack and fastened it to his back using the leather ties, crossing his arms and giving her a playfully stern stare.  Neah rewarded him with a delighted laugh, doubled over, saying something he didn’t understand.  Then she waved her arm as if dismissing him and led him up the cliff by a narrow trail, away from the shore he’d washed up on two days before.

            They walked along the cliff for several miles, Obi-Wan scanning the edges of both sides to see where he may have fallen.  Unfortunately, many places showed signs of having broken away recently.  Obi-Wan expressed his confusion to Neah.  She nodded.

            “The snow and the wind and the water changes the landscape often,” she said, looking at a giant, recent landslide from the cliff opposite of where they stood.  “That is how I lost my family.”

            “What happened?” Obi-Wan asked, glad to have Neah talking about herself.  He’d been curious about her since the moment he opened his eyes to her singing in the night.

            “My brother and I left our group to travel the region and beyond,” she said, continuing to walk, looking ahead.  “I am a storyteller.”

            “Storyteller?”

            “We collected stories from different peoples and shared them with others.  I keep and spread the history of us.  I sing the histories so people can remember and share as well,” she said.  “My father and mother were storytellers and traveled before finding a group to stay with for their older years.  In the south.  My people stayed in one place for several years at a time before moving, unlike people around here.  But my brother and I returned after several seasons on our first journey and found the group gone, the valley flooded with a new river.  I do not know where my parents went.”  She sighed.  “Then my brother died a few moons later.  Wolf.  But I keep up the work.  The stories are a part of my mind, my heart.  I travel the same ways, adding stories, teaching people.”

            Obi-Wan smiled, many of his questions answered.  This explained her singing, her traveling, her solitude, the fact her pack seemed so heavy.  She was a nomad, but one with a specific mission to inform people about each other.  Obi-Wan found this intriguing, as only someone curious about her world would do such work.  He enjoyed travel, learning from others, and could easily see himself enjoying this life.  In fact, this seemed a bit like his own existence back in his home galaxy, traveling from one conflict to another, helping others, only Neah helped others by setting up lines of knowledge and communication.

            “Where are you from?” Neah asked. 

            “Um…ahhh…” Obi-Wan hesitated.  How could he explain his home, how he got here, Neah’s world obviously technologically primitive.  “From beyond.”

            She stopped, forcing him to pause as well, now facing her directly.  She reached up and touched his hair with the tips of her fingers.

            “From far beyond,” she said.  “You look different than others around here.  Your hair is the color of the sunrise, you’re eyes like the sky.”

            Obi-Wan could feel himself blushing, and he thought perhaps he should step away, begin walking again, but Neah continued to play with his hair, her fingers moving down through his beard.

            “I like your eyes,” he said suddenly, without thinking.  “They are warm and deep and…” he stopped and stepped back, feeling foolish.  He sounded like an idiot.

            But Neah smiled.  “Thank you,” she said softly.  “You must be from far beyond, you and your brother.  Over the water?”

            Obi-Wan chuckled.  “You could say that.”

            “Your home words are strange, words I haven’t heard before,” she continued.  “But I like how they sound on your tongue.  The language is interesting.”

            “I like your singing,” he blurted again, instantly damning himself.  What was wrong with him?  He was being so uncouth, not his usual clever, graceful self.

            But her face brightened.  “Really?  May I practice a song for you as we walk?”

            “Yes!” he said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.  But he had longed to hear her sing again since that first night.

            They continued to walk, and Neah sang in her light, melodic voice, Obi-Wan, who did not know too much about music, guessing her to be a classic soprano.  She sang of a hunt against some large beast, most of the words ones he did not yet know.  But the melody hypnotized him.  When the song ended, she stopped and looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

            “So, what do you think?” she asked.

            Obi-Wan didn’t know the words for perfect or beautiful or any other adjective to describe what he just heard.  So he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

            “Amazing,” he said in Basic. “You’re voice is enchanting.”

            He knew she didn’t understand, but she beamed at him, then flushed, turning quickly and continuing to walk.

            They moved in silence for quite some time, Obi-Wan shifting the weight of the pack around, studying her with a side glance. A previous thought again came to the forefront of his mind: why did she trust him? A woman traveling alone in the wilderness, apparently not thinking twice about helping a strange man on the shore of a river.

            “Why do you trust me?” he said.

            She looked over at him and shrugged.  “I know I can.  I feel like we’ve met before, or I know you from the past.” She turned forward and continued in silence.

            Obi-Wan considered this a moment before shock suddenly jolted him.  He’d asked her the question in Basic, as he didn’t know the word for ‘trust,’ and she’d responded in her native tongue.  How in the world?

            But the sense of knowing her, knowing this place, this planet, this galaxy…yes, he’d felt drawn to this distant world since he and Anakin first arrived.  Why? And he’d been the one to suggest they land here, in the northern hemisphere.  Was the Force, which felt so odd here, speaking to him?

            He said nothing and refocused on looking for the spot he fell into the river.  But nothing looked familiar, and he couldn’t remember, having spent those frantic moments avoiding drowning. 

            “Come with me to my next stop,” Neah said finally, as they once again paused to study the terrain.  “The people in the valley…they only move twice a year, back and forth following the herds.  They meet a lot of others.  Maybe they know something of your brother.”

            Yes, go with Neah.  The frustration of not knowing which way to go to return to Anakin seeped away.  More time with Neah, a chance to hear her sing again, learn stories of the people of this world.

            Anakin would know he’d met danger, attempt to find Obi-Wan.  He nodded to himself; yes, he could trust Anakin to seek him out.  He’d trained his padawan well.

            “We turn from the river here,” she said, pointing to some distant hills.  “Come, Obi-Wan.”

            He followed her into the woods.

            Later that evening, and across the river miles away, Anakin arrived back at the tree he and Obi-Wan parted from more than two days before.  They pledged to meet on the third day, but Anakin trekked quickly back, knowing he’d already solved the problem and now just needed Obi-Wan to talk to about gathering the appropriate materials.  As the one moon of the world shined brightly on the fallen snow, Anakin settled in against the tree, regarding his plans on his data pad.  He glanced over at the antler at his side, smiling about his adventure with the hunting group the evening before, wishing he had the warm, filling meal again rather than the meager protein ration.

            He’s awakened before the hunting party, slipping away as the sun rose, making sure to take the gift of the antler with him.  Anakin enjoyed listening to the group the evening before, even though he understood little, and he felt grateful for their hospitality.  But the humans could provide little use for the problem at hand, the problem of the ship.  A primitive people in terms of technology, they did not realize the wealth of resources around them.  Yet.  Anakin wondered what this world would be like in a few thousand years, as the humans proved intelligent and industrious on a planet surrounded by such potential.

            Humans.  How were there humans in this galaxy as well as his own?  Did they originate back home and somehow end up here through that tear in space?  Or vice versa.  Anakin shook his head in confusion; too many questions he could not possibly find the answer to now.  Focus on the ship.

            He worked on his data pad for some time before his eyes looked down at the antler.  When he returned home, he would find a nice way to mount it on the wall in his and Padme’s apartment, a souvenir of his adventure far away.  Everything currently decorating the home came from her, artwork from Naboo, gifts from friends and family.  He’d acquired little in the way of trinkets and art throughout his life, the Jedi way to live a sparse existence, but having the antler up would be fun indeed.  He imagined Padme scrunching her nose at it, and the thought made him smile.

            Sitting back and watching the stars, he looked forward to seeing Obi-Wan the next day, telling him of his adventures with the humans.  And when he came back to Coruscant, doing the same with the Chancellor over caf.  Palpatine would appreciate the antler.  The Chancellor had a fascination with archeological artifacts, curiosities.  His office featured numerous pieces from all over the galaxy, and Anakin often found himself studying the strange objects, wondering how Palpatine came across them.  The Jedi momentarily thought of giving the antler to the Chancellor, keeping with the Jedi way in avoiding unnecessary possessions, but he liked it and looked forward to seeing it on the living room wall.

            As the night crept along, Anakin put his data pad down and fell asleep, waking once again with the sun, noticing no further snow fell overnight, the previous day’s dusting nearly hardening to ice in spots not touched by the yellow warmth.  He rose, removed his cloak, and ignited his lightsaber, wanting to get in a bit of training before the day began and Obi-Wan arrived back.  He swung around in his favorite practice stances before trying the ones he struggled with more, mostly due to him still getting used to his artificial hand. 

            Anakin stopped suddenly, feeling a presence, and he turned off the lightsaber, listening intently.  A crunching footfall could be heard, and he spun around to see a fur-clad, dark-skinned man with snowy white hair come towards him through the woods.

            “My goodness, the forest is riddled with Jedi these days,” the man said jovially.

            “What…wait…?” Anakin stammered, realizing with a start the man spoke Basic.

            Anakin studied the man, who continued to move toward him.  While he wore the furs of the humans of this world, he looked quite different from the others, and of course, speaking Basic caught Anakin off guard.  Then Anakin glanced to the man’s right hand, which clutched a lightsaber hilt.  A very familiar lightsaber hilt.

            Obi-Wan’s lightsaber.

            Fear and anger simultaneously gripped Anakin’s heart, and he re-ignited his blade.

            “What have you done with him?” he hissed, moving toward the stranger.

 


	8. Warrior

**Chapter Eight**

**Warrior**

            Anakin stalked toward the stranger holding Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, anger like fire in his veins.  Not only was he stranded on some world twenty million light years from Padme, but now his master and best friend seemed to be in peril, thanks to this Basic-speaking stranger.

            “Tell me!” Anakin shouted, his lightsaber whirring, now mere feet from the man.  “What have you done with him?”

            The man looked terrified, tossing Obi-Wan’s lightsaber to the ground at Anakin’s feet and backing away, his hands in the air. 

            “I…I was trying to help him, I swear!” the man pleaded.  “The wolves cornered him and…”

            “Wolves?” Anakin asked.  “What in the name of the Force is wolves?”

            “Wolf.  Wolves.  Carnivores here.  He fought them off but then fell from the cliff into the ravine.  With the big river,” the man continued, stopping since Anakin paused his own approach.  “Half a day’s walk from here.”

            Anakin deactivated his lightsaber.  “So he’s alive?”

            The man paused, his face falling, no longer frightened.  “I…well, I ran over to where the rocks fell and…and I couldn’t see him.  But the water moves very quickly.” 

            Anakin nodded, feeling better.  Obi-Wan Kenobi would not perish from a fall or even a rushing river.  Made of strong stuff, Obi-Wan faced bigger dangers in the past, Anakin having been present for many of them.

            “Show me where he fell,” Anakin demanded, turning to gather his things.  Then the full force of the encounter hit him, and he whirled back around.  “Wait…who the kriff are you?”

            “Zoltanarian,” the man said, extending a hand formally, which Anakin took in a firm shake.  “But Zolti for short.”

            “And you’re from…?”

            “Fondor, originally.  But here now,” the man laughed.  “And you?”

            “I’m Anakin Skywalker.  From Tatooine,” Anakin said.  “Jedi Knight.”

            “Pilot,” Zolti said, pointing to himself.  “I suppose you got caught in that space anomaly.  The one that lets out by the orange gas giant further out system?”

            “Yes,” Anakin said.  Pilot?  A ship?  “Where is your ship?”

            Zolti sighed.  “In a cave along the coast, several days west.  Everything went crazy after I went through that wormhole.  Barely made it here, crash landed.  Propelling system destroyed, hyperdrive damaged.  A nice passenger yacht, but no way to fix it.  Been here two years by my reckoning.  Got bored staying on the ship, so began to travel around.”

            Anakin felt his heart rate quicken.  Another ship. Possibilities ran through his mind.

            “Do you have fuel?” he asked, trying to contain his excitement.

            Zolti laughed.  “Yeah, a lot of good it’s done me but two full tanks.  Fueled up right before it happened.  On my way to pick up Lord Kaan and…” Zolti stopped suddenly, fear returning to his eyes.  He looked away from Anakin, biting his lip, staring intently at the ground.

            Anakin considered this sudden dropped statement.  Lord Kaan…probably some leader important on some Outer Rim world he’d never heard of and made no difference in galactic affairs.  Why should he…wait…

“Two full tanks!  Bring me to the ship!  We have our transport!  We can scavenge the pieces and…” Anakin began, but Zolti interrupted, also excited.

            “Yes!” he cried, his face shining with a large smile.  “How long have you been here?”

            “A couple days.  It may take some time, but I have a talent for machines and…well…” he felt like jumping up and down like a child but instead he slapped Zolti on the back like an old friend.  “Let’s get away from this place.”

            “Actually, this is a nice world, if not a bit harsh to live in sometimes,” Zolti said, helping Anakin gather his things, nodding, impressed, at the antler.  “I’ve wondered about the existence of humans.  Although primitive, they’ve been kind, and I’ve been in their company many times, the tribes, the nomads.  I’ve gathered some of the language, gotten good at hunting.” Zolti sighed happily.  “But to return home, to see my family again, my little sister.  I planned to return to Fondor for her wedding after dropping my Lord off.”

            Anakin smiled, feeling better than he had in days, for surely they’d find Obi-Wan quickly and could get started with repairs.  He could almost feel Padme’s warm embrace. 

“Well Zolti, sorry I almost killed you,” chuckled Anakin.

“Obviously in my line of work I deal with volatile Force users on a daily basis, so…well, this way, Master Skywalker,” Zolti said.

            Anakin smiled, not correcting his new companion, but puzzling a bit over his last statement.  He shrugged and began questioning Zolti about his ship as they walked through the forest to find Obi-Wan.

            Unknowingly moving further away from Anakin with every step, Obi-Wan walked happily next to Neah, their conversation animated as they now understood each other better than the previous day, Obi-Wan continuing to pick up the language quickly.  Last night, Neah performed several more of her songs for Obi-Wan as they sat by the fire, cooking a small animal they’d killed called a rabbit.  Her voice enchanted him, and he allowed himself to immerse his spirit into the moment, forgetting all his troubles, the war, the Jedi, everything, to just enjoy.  She’d choreographed hand gestures for the various songs, and although he didn’t understand everything she said, he gathered the literal as well as symbolic meanings.  Also, she showed him a small collection of clay, wood, and stone figurines she carried, often taking things as gifts from one group of people to another.  Obi-Wan realized that not only was Neah an entertainer and a teacher, but a messenger for these primitive people as well.

            They’d fallen asleep side by side, still talking, their conversation becoming slower as they drifted away together.  Obi-Wan awoke once in the night to a distant howl that chilled his blood, but he calmed when he realized Neah lie directly beside him, her hand having fallen on his arm in her sleep.  He focused all his senses on her, falling asleep to dreams of her singing to him, her face lit by the fire.

            Walking beside her now, over the small dusting of snow in the woods, he felt slightly unsettled as their conversation lulled.  He’d been allowing these feelings to get the better of him, lowering his usual guards toward attachment.  And perhaps he only felt this attraction due to his vulnerable state.  No Obi-Wan, he reminded himself, you’re a Jedi Master, pull yourself together.

            But he found himself telling Neah things he rarely talked about.  He spoke of Qui-Gon, using the term father, and Yoda, calling him teacher, talking about them with love and respect, Neah asking all sorts of questions about him growing up, Obi-Wan trying his best to answer, considering their vast differences of lifestyle.

            “So your tribe…the Jedi…you are all warriors?” she asked.

            “Well, not always.  Our job is to keep the peace between groups of people,” Obi-Wan explained, realizing that he’d mostly been fighting the past year, rarely at peace. 

            “Do people fight often?”

            Obi-Wan considered.  “Yes.  Almost constantly,” he said sadly.  “How about around here?”

            Neah shrugged.  “People within groups have disagreements.  And different tribes disagree, try to take another’s land or resources.  But this doesn’t happen often enough for someone to be a warrior all the time.”  She stopped, forcing him to pause beside her.  “Have you ever killed anyone?”

            Obi-Wan looked at her, the deep brown of her eyes showing her sadness. He felt suddenly cold.  Would she be disappointed in his answer?  He suddenly felt ashamed of himself, of the Jedi as a whole.  Who were they?  Mere warriors, with glorified magic tricks thanks to the Force?  When he described their work to her, that is all they seemed, warriors, security guards, mercenaries for the Republic.  At least these were the roles Obi-Wan seemed to take on during his own lifetime.  What about the Code?  Did this reflect the current state of the Jedi?

            Obi-Wan sighed, looking away from her.  “Yes, I’ve killed.”

            Silence fell between them, the only sound from the wind in the trees and the occasional bird overhead.  He raised his eyes back to her face, and she continued to regard him curiously.

            “You do not like being a warrior,” she said with finality.

            “No,” he admitted.  “I sometimes…well, I don’t really like what the Jedi have become, what we stand for.  But with the Dark Side growing…I…I don’t know.” He grinned, trying to bring his good spirits back, with little success.  “I’ve been told I’m a good warrior.”

            “Well, you have a strong body.  Good muscles,” Neah said, then her eyes widened, and Obi-Wan saw her blush.  She turned and began walking again.  “Is that why you and your brother traveled away?  To no longer be warriors?”

            “No,” Obi-Wan said.  “We ended up here by accident.”

            Neah nodded beside him, still not looking at his face.  “I’m sure your mate misses you.  And your children.”

            “Oh…um…I don’t have a mate,” he bumbled.  “You?”

            Neah turned and laughed.  “Of course not.  I would not be a storyteller.  Well, not a traveling one.  I would be with a group to take care of the children.”

            “Do you, um, want to find…or have, well…” he said, unsure why asking this made him nervous.  They were just engaged in pleasant, everyday conversation after all.

            “If I found someone I cared about who wanted me too.  But I’m never around places for a long time.  And other tribes do not know my family or people.  They are gone.  The groups like me visiting, but sometimes people still are distrustful,” she said, looking a little sad, Obi-Wan wondering how much of her time she spent in solitude.  She continued, “You are lucky to have a people, the Jedi.  Many family members.”

            “You can often feel alone amongst many,” he said before thinking.  Did he really feel this way?

            “But you are close to your brother?”

            “We’ve been…distant for some time.  I’m unsure why…well, I know he’s made some choices I haven’t agreed with, but I do love him and…” Obi-Wan began, thinking back to the last days with Anakin, realizing the younger man tried to converse with Obi-Wan, who kept letting his irritations over Palpatine and Anakin breaking the Code get in the way.  “We both haven’t made things easy.  I see my faults now.”

            Neah laughed.  “Like my brother and I.  We would fight over silly things, like a song title for a history or how to cook the meal…and I would give anything to fight with him again.  I miss him.”

            Silence fell between them again, Obi-Wan’s mind drifting to the Jedi and Anakin before thinking about Neah and her loneliness.  He’d always been surrounded by people, from the other younglings in the Temple when he’d been a child to the other Masters on the Council to the armies he led.  Neah wondered the woods by herself.  Despite these distinct differences, he realized they both existed in personal solitudes, offering both solace and captivity.  He longed to share these thoughts with her but realized he did not know the words.

            Midday they sat down together to eat some of the leftover meat from the evening before along with some berries they’d picked along the trail.  The breeze blew cold, and Obi-Wan tightened the coat around him, grateful for the warm fur.

            “Look,” whispered Neach beside him.  “Deer.”

            A little ways up the hill, three four-legged hoofed animals grazed the moss peeking through the permafrost and growing on the trees.  Their auburn coat helped them blend in, and their smooth graceful movements made them pleasant to watch.  Obi-Wan and Neah sat quietly, eating and enjoying the animals.

            “I’m glad I found you, Obi-Wan,” Neah said after some time.  “Usually I talk to myself, see the animals and cannot share them with others.  But now…this is good.”  She rubbed her bare hands together, having taken off her fur gloves to eat.  “We should move.  We get cold when we sit.”      

            She reached for her gloves, but Obi-Wan grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.  His move shocked him, and he stared at the hands.  Small, a little rough from the weather, her hands fit nicely with his, and he tightened his grip.

            “I’m glad you found me too,” he said softly, daring to look up at her.

            Her long black hair framed her face, her eyes intensely regarding him.  He felt his breath caught in his lungs.  Let go, he told himself.  Move away now.  You’re a Jedi Master.

            But he didn’t.  Instead, he scooted a little toward her and continued to hold her hand, turning back once again to enjoy the grazing deer.  He wasn’t a Jedi here; the Jedi existed twenty million light years away.  He felt good not being a Jedi at the moment, the constantly fighting warrior he had become.  He wanted to be Obi-Wan Kenobi, just a man sitting next to a woman watching the world.

            Throughout the afternoon, Anakin and Zolti walked along the shore of the river, covering several miles before Anakin began to feel his hope at finding Obi-Wan falter.  During their search, the two men talked about their ships and plans to bring one up and running, capable of finding the anomaly again and returning back to their galaxy.  Anakin thought the most logical solution would be fixing up Zolti’s yacht.  First he would need to fly his and Obi-Wan’s transport to the site Zolti mentioned along the coast and go from there.

            Zolti chuckled suddenly beside him.

            “I have to say Master Skywalker…”

            “Call me Anakin, please.”

            “Anakin.  Well, I thought you’d slice me in half when you learned I worked for Lord Kaan,” Zolti said.

            Anakin stopped and looked at the man.  “Listen, I’m sure your Lord Kaan is important on your world, but in the scheme of galactic affairs…”

            “My world?” Zolti said, surprised.  “Does the Jedi not consider the Brotherhood of Darkness a threat anymore?”

            Anakin stopped.  Brotherhood of Darkness.  Lord Kaan.  His history lessons from the Temple when he first arrived as a child came back to him.  Lord Kaan, former Jedi fallen to the Dark Side.  United many Sith under the Brotherhood of Darkness.  Perished, along with the entire Sith order, at the Battle of Ruusan.  Sith hadn’t been seen or heard from since until the time Anakin joined the Jedi.

            “Lord Kaan?” Anakin said, now looking at Zolti seriously.  “The leader of the Brotherhood of Darkness, the Dark Army?”

            “Um…yes.”

            “You are his pilot?”

            “Yes.  I fly his personal yacht,” Zolti said.  “But…that shouldn’t matter, right?  We’re in the same predicament.  We need to get home and…”

            “Lord Kaan died over a thousand years ago,” Anakin said, his mouth feeling dry suddenly, his heart beginning to race.

            Zolti’s face fell in shock.  “What?  No.  Impossible.  I’ve only been here two years!  I’ve…I’ve…” The man placed his palms on his forehead, sitting down on a nearby log. 

            Anakin felt like someone poured ice water on him, as a chill slowly passed form the top of his head down to the tips of his toes.  Lessons about time and space and folds in the universe came to him, and he felt dizzy. 

            “You’ve been here two years,” he said slowly, trying to clarify things to himself.  “And a thousand years passed back home.”

            But Zolti didn’t hear.  He sat weeping into his hands.

            This couldn’t possibly be happening, Anakin thought, the coldness now taking over the very marrow of his bones.  But he knew it could be true.  Wormholes, anomalies, plus different galaxies rotating around the universal center in different locations, different speeds based on various gravitational forces.  The math, the science…yes, possible.

            He’d been gone for only a few days.  Did that equal a few years back home?  The thought weakened him, and he crumbled to the ground next to Zolti.

 

 


	9. Time and Space

**Chapter Nine**

**Time and Space**

Mid-day found Neah and Obi-Wan at the top of a ridge overlooking an enormous valley.  The forest went down to the banks of a large river, steadily flowing west from the distant snow-capped mountains.  While snow still dusted the ground, the air felt slightly warmer here, yet not warm enough to remove the fur coats.

            The duo sat to rest in a clearing with a view of the valley, and Neah pointed to the west. 

            “Around the bend we’ll find the home of the people in this valley.  We will be there by nightfall.  I look forward to the luxury of having a roof over my head,” she said.  “They’ve lived here since the time of my parents, very long indeed for the communities of this land.  Of course, not as long as the groups you mentioned from your home.”  She shook her head and laughed.  “Hundreds of years.  Amazing.”

            Regarding her, Obi-Wan wondered what Neah would think of his home galaxy, so vast, so many different species and worlds.  A sudden fantasy came upon him, Obi-Wan walking through the Jedi Temple, holding hands with Neah, guiding her around as she looked in awe at the enormous structure.  Then Neah and him standing on the viewing deck of a galactic transport vessel, the stars spread out before them.  How would she react to such a place?       

“Thousands of years,” he murmured. 

“Hmmm?”

“Um…well, my tribe alone is thousands of years old,” he said.

She looked at him puzzled, then laughed.  “I’m going to write a song, a history, about you, Obi-Wan, and the land of which you speak.”  She regarded him thoughtfully.  “I often use animals to characterize people.”  She laughed playfully.  “I know the animal.”

“Wolf?” he asked, remembering the creatures with a shudder.

“No.  They move in a pack.  You stand alone…you stand out,” she explained.

Obi-Wan didn’t know too many other animals of this world.  “A rabbit?”

Neah laughed.  “No!  Although you did resemble a drowned rodent when I met you.”

“Well, thank you,” Obi-Wan chuckled, glad he now reached the level of understanding to be able to engage in banter and teasing. 

Neah giggled, her eyes scrunching up as she did, the smile spreading across her face.  Such a sweet, beautiful look for her, and Obi-Wan felt his heart rate quicken.

“You are a bear,” she said matter-of-factly.

“A bear?”

“Yes.  They are large, fur covered beasts.  They eat both meat and plants,” she explained.  “I sometimes see them from afar.  But you should never go close!  They only become aggressive when provoked but are peaceful most of the time.  Like you, a warrior, but a reluctant one.”

“I like the sound of them,” Obi-Wan said.

“They are beautiful,” she said absentmindedly, staring down at the valley.  “My favorite.”  She then turned to him, a mischievous gleam in her eye.  “And you sound like one when you sleep.”

“What?”

“Like this,” she said, then began making a loud growling sound. 

“I do not snore!  Well, at least not like that,” he laughed. 

“Yes, you do!”

“Well, you sound like one of those wolves when you sleep, breathing through your nostrils,” Obi-Wan fired back, then hesitated, worrying he insulted her.

But Neah laughed hard, doubled-over, and Obi-Wan began laughing too, not able to stop, encouraged by her laughter.  Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he lay back in the grass, his stomach hurting, finally calming down.

He opened his eyes to see Neah looking down at him.  He froze as her hand ran through his hair, then combed through his beard.

“I don’t mind the snoring,” she said softly.  “I like having someone with me.  I sleep better than when I’m alone.” 

Obi-Wan suddenly realized the same.  He’d slept wonderfully the past few nights, in fact, the best sleep he’d ever had, waking up fully rested every morning.  Her hand still on his face, he moved his hand over hers, squeezing it softly. 

“I sleep better too,” he said.  “I…well…um…” he stammered, not knowing what he wanted to say.  His fingers brushed his beard, and he realized he probably looked quite unkempt.  “I should trim this, haven’t in a few days.  I usually keep myself presentable.”

“It’s not bad,” Neah said, producing her pouch of knives, pulling out a small, sharp blade.  “Just a couple stray hairs.  Most men around here have beards.  You’ll look fine.”

Obi-Wan watched her use her knife to cut away the stray hairs of his ever-thickening beard, her eyes watching her work carefully.  She gently bit her lip in concentration.  Her face very close to his, Obi-Wan felt the overwhelming urge to lean forward and kiss her.  What would her lips taste like, feel like?  Would she let him?

She put her hand down and smiled at her work, then her look became serious as she leaned a bit toward him, Obi-Wan moving a bit forward, now inches from her.

A loud crashing sound startled them both, and they leaped to their feet to see a deer jump from the nearby woods and move down the hill.  They both looked at each other.

“We need to get going so we arrive by nightfall,” she said, shouldering her pack and moving away quickly.

Obi-Wan watched her for a moment before grabbing his burden as well.  So close…thank goodness for that deer!  What would he have done?  Kissed her?!  Ridiculous.  He was a Jedi Master! 

But as he walked behind her, he wished more and more the deer hadn’t chosen that moment to make its move for the river.   

Anakin and Zolti moved through the land, the Jedi hardly noticing the world around him, lost in his own thoughts.  After the discovery of the time difference between this world and his home galaxy, he made the decision to abandon the search for Obi-Wan and seek out Zolti’s ship.  He now knew time to be very precious, each minute passing perhaps equal to days for Padme.  Once they had a ship up and running, flight would enable them to cover more ground in looking for the wayward Jedi Master, who Anakin knew to still be alive.  He’d certainly feel in the Force if Obi-Wan died, wouldn’t he?

“So, the Sith are completely gone in the future?” Zolti asked, seeming not to trust Anakin’s summary of the past thousand years of galactic history.  “But their armies were huge, powerful, the Jedi made foolish errors, and…”

“They destroyed themselves from within.  But we’ve recently discovered a few, living in the shadows.  I told you this.  The Brotherhood of Darkness failed,” Anakin said, a little exasperated.  But then he paused.  He would probably have a difficult time adjusting to this new information, having missed a millennium.  He sighed.  “Sorry to be short.  It’s just…I need to return to my wife.  I was just on a routine mission.  And maybe years…”

Zolti stopped short and turned to Anakin.  “Wait, what?  A wife?  The Jedi marry now?”  He laughed.  “I thought you were all some celibate Force fanatics.”

“Fanatics?  The Sith are…” Anakin snapped back, but Zolti held up his arms in surrender.

“Whoa!  Okay, okay.  Remember, I piloted for a former Jedi, who left your Order for several reasons.  He’d lecture away on long flights.  Honestly, I couldn’t care less about you Sith or Jedi.  You both spent a lot of time destroying the galaxy in your self-righteous attempts for superiority.  Sounds like that still might be happening.”

Anakin frowned deeply at Zolti, considering his words.  The history of the Jedi, as he learned it in the Temple when he first came, always seemed to have violence, no matter the era.  When did they truly keep and enjoy peace?

“So…a wife,” Zolti said, raising his eyebrows. 

Anakin shook his head, looking at the ground, grinning sheepishly.  “Yeah.  The Jedi still forbid attachment.  I sort of went against the Code.”

Zolti laughed.  “Must be some woman.”

Anakin joined in with a small chuckle.  “You have no idea.”

The two men continued walking. 

“You know, you aren’t the first.  Lord Kaan told me of his time with the Jedi, of others he knew…they weren’t exactly, well…perfect Jedi.”

Anakin thought the Jedi he grew up around, Mace Windu, Yoda, and most of all, Obi-Wan.  He couldn’t imagine any of them breaking the rules like he did.  Of course, he’d done more than simply marry Padme.  The Sand People…

“Tell me more about the ships of the future,” Zolti said, thankfully interrupting Anakin’s dark thoughts.

“Well, the fundamentals are still the same, but there have been a few exciting changes in fuel efficiency and hyperdrive reliability,” Anakin said, happy to talk about mechanics.

But after some time, silence met them again, allowing both men to slip into their thoughts.  The profound impact of the time change once again hit Anakin in the gut.  Had he lost even more time too, going through the anomaly?  Time and space seemed to bend for him and Obi-Wan, as they had for Zolti two-years previously (or two years by Zolti’s biological reckoning).  Anakin shook his head as if trying to loosen his thoughts.  He was no scientist or philosopher.  He longed to talk to Obi-Wan about the problem at hand.

But first to the ship. Get something running, then find his master, then fly to the anomaly, then…but what if he couldn’t find the wormhole again?

Anakin felt the familiar feeling of anger and desperation run through his veins, and he took several deep breathes to calm down, employing mediation techniques that worked in the past.  No, no…he needed to think of one thing at a time.  Obi-Wan could take care of himself.  Step one, get a ship.

By the time the sun dipped down toward the horizon, Neah and Obi-Wan walked along the edge of the forest, the bank of the large river several yards away.  Soon, the rich smell of smoked fish filled the air, making Obi-Wan instantly hungry. 

“Wow,” he said, inhaling the fragrance deeply.  Delicious.  “Hope we haven’t missed dinner.”

Neah grinned over at him.  “Yes, the bear is your animal.  They love fish.”

“What is your animal?” Obi-Wan asked.

Neah shrugged.  “I don’t know.  No one ever gave me one.  I tell stories about others, not myself.”

“I’ll give you one,” Obi-Wan said quickly.  Why shouldn’t Neah have an animal?  And furthermore, he found the stories she told about herself and her journeys to different lands fascinating.  Back home, Neah’s character and travels would the stuff of grand operas and holodramas. 

“You are going to give me an animal?” she asked, her eyes shining with delight.

Obi-Wan then realized the error of his comment.  “I…well, once I know more animals.  I only really know wolf, deer, fish, and rabbit, and none of those suit you.  But I’ll be looking around.  You should have an animal too.”

Suddenly, Neah leaned over to him as they continued to walk and kissed him softly on the cheek.  “You are wonderful, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan could feel himself blushing, the spot where she kissed him tingling.  She continued to walk, a smile on her face, while Obi-Wan’s insides went haywire.  Doing his best to hide this, he longed for someone to talk with about these feelings.  This felt different than the women he flirted with causally in his work protecting the galaxy, from the woman he went home with that night several years ago when he’d been a padawan, then even Satine.  During these past encounters he merely told himself he couldn’t go further, and then he simply didn’t, caring more about his adherence to the Jedi way than his feelings of attachment.  But he found himself caring less and less about the Code, wanting to become more intimate with Neah, physically and emotionally, share his deepest thoughts, fears, and hopes with her while lying next to the river, wrapped in her arms, face nuzzled into her warm hair. 

He imagined talking to Yoda about this and inwardly laughed.  Obi-Wan could write the script for that conversation.  Qui-Gon would be better, but that would only be speculation now.  Somehow, he knew his master would like Neah, find her fascinating and charming the way Obi-Wan did.

The only logical option would be Anakin, who by now probably realized something happened to Obi-Wan.  He wondered about his former apprentice.  Was he looking for Obi-Wan?  He knew Anakin to be fine, as he would sense in the Force if something awful befell him.

But what would Anakin think of Obi-Wan falling for Neah?  Obi-Wan imagined laughter and an “I told you so,” as well as the classic Skywalker smugness.  But could Obi-Wan talk about this with Anakin?  He’d always been the teacher, the mentor.  Yes, he considered Anakin a friend, and wasn’t a friend someone you talked with about such things?  But could Obi-Wan step outside his role to do so?  Obi-Wan realized with sudden clarity that this was the core problem with him and Anakin as of late.  Anakin sought out a friend, while Obi-Wan continued to keep the wall up, forever in the role of mentor.  But now, Obi-Wan needed the console of a friend, and Anakin fit the bill nicely.  He’d need to search for…

“We’ve arrived,” said Neah, and Obi-Wan raised his eyes from concentrating on the ground to see several people, women, men, and children alike, coming toward them.  Wooden structures could be seen in the distance amongst the trees.  The people smiled warmly as one of the women, older than the rest, stepped forward.

“Neah the Storyteller,” the woman said in a pleasant voice, and she moved to Neah, embracing the younger woman. 

Soon, many of the people gathered around them, Neah introducing Obi-Wan. As they began to move toward the village, he felt Neah take his hand as one of the older men walked at his side.

“Welcome to our valley, Obi-Wan from Beyond.”

 

 


	10. Daily Life

**Chapter Ten**

**Daily Life**

            Following a delicious dinner and conversation that exhausted Obi-Wan to the point he nearly slept while walking through the small village, the older woman who greeted the visitors led them to a small wooden house.

            “I hope you enjoy the guest home,” she said.  “Your packs should be inside. Tomorrow I will show you around, and you can see how we work.” She looked at Obi-Wan.  “Will you be staying with Neah or in the men’s house?”

            Obi-Wan glanced at Neah, who did not meet his eyes, looking intently at the ground.

            “I…um…I would like to stay with Neah,” Obi-Wan said, noticing a wide smile spread across the woman’s face as she turned to look at Neah.

            Obi-Wan felt like he missed some social cue, but voices outside drew the woman’s attention.

            “A moment,” she said, exiting. 

            Neah looked up at him.  “Are you sure about…ah…staying with me?  People might think that…”

            “Neah,” the woman said, re-entering.  “The head of furs would like to see you for a moment.  Maybe schedule time with you this week.”

            “Of course,” said Neah, leaving Obi-Wan alone in the small cabin.

            Looking around, weary from the busy evening, Obi-Wan found a comfortable room, a fire with ventilation above warming the space nicely.  The packs of supplies they’d divided between them sat against a wall, with four beds made up of furs and foliage around the space.

            Removing his boots, Obi-Wan fell onto one of the beds, instantly feeling sleep start to come.  Since they arrived, Obi-Wan’s brain worked on overload, trying to keep up with the conversations around him.  While just he and Neah conversing over the days-long journey allowed him to concentrate and learn, hearing dozens of conversations, all fast-paced, not intended for a learner, brought on fatigue after a while.  At some point during the delicious dinner of smoked fish, fruit, and some root vegetable, Obi-Wan shut down in the conversation and simply observed.  He knew Neah explained his situation to others, since they seemed to understand, not pressing him.

            About a dozen people joined them for dinner around what appeared to be a central gathering area, a large fire surrounded by wooden seats.  The people looked similar to those he first saw in the forest, with their black hair, dark eyes, and bronze skin, only now Obi-Wan saw people of all ages, even an infant in the arms of a young father, the mother sitting beside him, leaning lovingly on his shoulder regarding the child most of the meal.  Obi-Wan found his gaze returning to them over and over, the tenderness of the scene calming him and warming his spirit.

            Using the Force initially to boost his awareness and understand, he discovered through inference, and Neah’s frequent translations, that she would be visiting with the different groups of the tribe over the next several days, her song and history performance after the return of some hunting party gone abroad.  He knew from Neah that she often spent days and sometimes weeks with a group, learning their ways and teaching them things learned from other villages.  When asked if he would be joining her by another elder of the group, Obi-Wan eagerly agreed, wanting to learn more, curious about these people on this planet he found so attractive.

            They questioned him too, about the beyond, and Neah intervened after he bumbled through an answer, saying he still needed to learn the language.  The people nodded and offered him more fish, which he gladly took.

            Now lying in comfort, he distantly heard Neah re-enter the house after some time, but he drifted too far asleep and just murmured good night.  He felt her hand on his cheek briefly, then heard her settle in herself, humming softly.  The crackling fire, his full stomach, and her closeness, her own bed a few feet away, made him feel completely safe, and he soon surrendered to sleep.      

            The next morning, Neah and Obi-Wan spent several hours visiting the different people of the village, making introductions and inquiring about Anakin.  Nobody knew anything about another looking like Obi-Wan, and after leaving the group in charge of the small community vegetable garden, Neah pulled the increasingly distraught Obi-Wan aside.

            “Other people live within days of here, Obi-Wan,” she said, stroking his arm.  “When we leave here, we will continue our search.  We will find your brother.”

            She turned from him to head to their next destination, leaving Obi-Wan staring after her, his heart beating fast, body suddenly quite warm despite the chill in the air.  Our search.  We.  She’d included them both together.  She wanted to continue with him, take care of him.

            Take care of him.  How nice it felt for someone to take care of him.  He’d rarely been taken care of, except by the physicians at the Jedi Temple when he’d been ill on occasion.  But then he’d return back out into the galaxy, taking care of others.  Ah, but how wonderful it felt for someone to be looking after him, worried about him, helping him.  He moved along after her, puzzling over this new sense of contentment.

            The next several days, Obi-Wan integrated himself into the community, joining the different working groups to see how these people lived.  Some work groups featured both men and women, and some were all of one grouping.  As the storyteller, Neah gained admission into all the work sites, learning about the methods of the people and teaching them the knowledge she gathered from her travels.  Obi-Wan followed behind, most people very curious about him.  On the third day of their stay, he found she moved on without him, as he’d become quite engrossed with the work of the fishermen.  He stayed there all day, enjoying the conversation with the men, the fresh, crisp, cool air, and manual labor of untangling nets and cleaning out the canoes, hooks, and spears.  That afternoon, he worked on a wooden canoe with another man, younger, between his and Anakin’s ages, named Akule.  Obi-Wan found he enjoyed the work immensely, realizing he relied on the Force so much in his usual work as a Jedi Master.  There was something quite satisfying about working with one’s hands to create something new.

            Chopping away, Obi-Wan wished he had his data pad so he could record his experiences with these humans.  Branches of the Jedi focused on the anthropology of the galaxy, but Obi-Wan, being very powerful in the Force, always found himself on the warrior path since before he could remember.  He wondered what he would have done if he had not been taken by the Jedi.

            Such thoughts!  But being away from home seemed to bring out more and more introspection and criticism, particularly since he’d been in a state of fighting most of his life.  This gentle hum of daily life comforted him.

            Quite intelligent, the humans themselves appeared no different than Obi-Wan, just this particular branch of the species seemed at a technological disadvantage.  But then again, thinking what all the technological advantages got the humans in his galaxy, he began to think a simpler existence might just appeal to him.

            Akule brought Obi-Wan out of his thoughts as they gutted the fallen tree for the canoe.

            “I offer my congratulations to you and Neah,” he said with a smile.  “I was going to be a jealous brute to you, but now I see what a good man you are and…well, I just can’t.”  He laughed jovially.

            Obi-Wan stopped working and looked up, confused.

            “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” he said.

            “Come now, everyone knows that when you did not arrive at the men’s house that first evening you were Neah’s chosen one, her mate,” Akule continued.  “I was planning on pursuing Neah when I heard she was coming back through these parts, but then she arrives with you, and you stay the night with her.” He stopped, regarding Obi-Wan’s increasingly shocked expression with a kind smile.  “Do not worry.  We will not make a big deal about it unless you announce it formally.”

            Did everyone think he and Neah were together?  The odd moment the first evening came back to him, and he opened his mouth to speak, to correct Akule, then stopped.  He liked sleeping next to Neah, being around her, found his feelings of safety and comfort depended on her presence.

            But Neah had no mate, mentioned longing to settle down if she found the right person.  Could Akule be that man?  He studied Akule, who’d gone back to work with a sharp stone, cutting at the wood, casting it aside in a pile for the fire.  His stomach churned slightly; he really needed to say something, set Akule straight, let him know Neah still sought out a mate.

            But Obi-Wan remained quiet, working more diligently than before, and talk soon shifted to the species of fish in the region.

            A few hours later, as Obi-Wan walked back to the guest house after working, he felt guilt over his lie to Akule.  No, he didn’t lie; he just didn’t redirect the man to the truth.  Why?  This was very un-Obi-Wan.

            He knew why, of course, but he had to deny these feelings.  He was a Jedi Master, for goodness sake!  But truth be told, he was falling for Neah…hard.  He enjoyed their evening conversations together, when she would grill him on what he thought of this part of the world and laugh at his observations.  She’d sing to him and encourage him to talk of his home.  And he felt his body increasingly drawn to her like a magnet, finding more and more ways to be next to her, to brush his hand over hers. 

            Entering their room, he found her seated on her bed, rummaging in a small pouch he hadn’t seen her bring out before.  Neatly lying on her blanket, several strings of brightly colored beads shimmered in the light of the fire.

            “I’m trying to decide which to wear for my performance.  The hunting party should be back soon,” she said as he sat beside her, his fingers gracing over the necklaces.

            “I did something wrong,” he blurted out suddenly, needing to get this guilty feeling off his chest.

            “What?”

            Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan related his conversation with Akule to Neah.  As he spoke, her eyebrows rose higher and higher and her jaw dropped slightly.  Finishing his tale, he bit his lip, feeling a bit embarrassed.     

            “I…well, I will go now and tell Akule that…” he began, but Neah grabbed his arm.

            “No!” she cried, then began to laugh.  “Akule wanted me for his mate?!” She laughed harder, wiping tears from her eyes. 

            “Yes…and I misled him and…”

            “Good!”

            “What?”

            “Akule is a boastful idiot,” Neah said.  “When I last visited, he picked a fight with my brother over a story we told about a group to the north bringing down the largest mammoth ever.  He called us liars!  Said he and his cousin brought down the largest mammoth and…” Her laughter continued.  “Akule.  Never…never.”

            “I should go to sleep in the men’s house,” Obi-Wan said quietly, and Neah stopped, regarding him.

            “You do not want to stay with me?” she asked, her dark eyes suddenly sad.

            “Yes…no…I mean I love being around you,” Obi-Wan insisted quickly, then stopped short at his choice of words.  A long silence fell between them as they intensely stared at one another.  Finally clearing his throat, he continued.  “I did not know about the men’s house…that people were separated…”

            “They do not do this in the beyond?”

            “Well, some planets…um…tribes…I…” Obi-Wan stammered, then rose to sit on his bed.  “Can we just…I…”  He was bumbling along, and he hated this.  He always had some quip, some clever remark.  Where was his mind?  “What is a mammoth?” he asked finally.

            Her head cocked to the side.  “Mammoth?  You have never seen a mammoth?”

            “No.”

            “They are the grandest beasts in the land.  Huge, wooly, long snout, large tusks.  They provide a lot of meat and oil and fur.  Beautiful but difficult to hunt.  They come through this area, in herds.  Perhaps we will see them.”

            Obi-Wan nodded, grateful for the conversation change.  Neah suddenly rose and began to pace.

            “I’m really nervous,” she said, wringing her hands in a way Obi-Wan never saw before.

            “About what?”

            “My performance,” she said, turning to look at him.  “This is the largest audience I perform for, and this is my first time here alone.”

            Obi-Wan nodded, knowing fully about self-doubt, even amongst those that appeared quite confident to others.  He knew because he functioned like this most of the time, giving orders, putting up a strong front, when oftentimes his head swam with doubts and what-ifs.  He could only imagine how someone who performed for others felt.

            Obi-Wan rose.  “You will do wonderful.  Your songs…your voice…everything is perfect…beautiful.” Before he knew it, he stood before her, his fingers running across her cheek and through her hair.

            “You think so?” she said, barely above a whisper.  “I’m…well, I suppose it sounds ridiculous to a warrior, but I’m afraid.”  She sighed, the sound gentle, soft, encouraging Obi-Wan to step slightly closer until he was right up against her.  “These stories…they are important to everyone.  I want to tell them right.”

            “You will,” he whispered, his fingers gliding through her hair again, his mind falling into the depths of her deep brown eyes.   

            “Obi-Wan,” she said.  “Why didn’t you correct Akule?”

            He paused, his face mere inches from hers.  Jedi Code be damned!  He wanted his mouth on hers, their bodies together.

            “Dinner time!” came a child’s voice from outside the house, and Neah stepped back quickly.

            “I’ll…um…help me decide on a necklace later?” she asked, her voice shaking as she put the jewelry from her bed into the pouch. 

            “Yes,” Obi-Wan answered, his voice breaking a bit.

            He stood in the same spot as she put the pouch into her larger pack.  She turned abruptly and walked back to him.

            “I…I care for you, Obi-Wan.  And…and…I feel…drawn to you…but…” she paused, wringing her hands again.  “I’ve been alone long…and I have no people and…”

            “Dinner!” came another voice, this time a grown woman.

            “Kriff!” cursed Obi-Wan, and he shouted, “Yes, thank you!”  He looked at Neah.  “I understand…I…I’ve been alone as well.” He sighed.  “Even when I’m with my brother.  And my people.  I am alone.”

            She nodded and took his hand.  “Then we’ll see what happens.” She guided him from the house to the central fire.

            Obi-Wan could not answer.  What he should do and what he longed to do deeply conflicted with one another.  But knowing Neah felt a similar draw to him pleased him deeply, and he damned himself again for his weakening resolve.  He wished to find Anakin, desperate to speak with someone over these conflicting feelings, as he certainly felt the opposite from the first line of the Jedi Code: There is no emotion, there is peace.  Whoever first uttered these words obviously never met Neah.

            Far away, Anakin breathed deeply, tasting the salt in the air.  They neared the coastline, and he felt curious about seeing the ocean.  Furthermore, Zolti’s ship sat hidden in a cave, and the more Anakin spoke with the pilot, the more excited he became about seeing a vintage galactic yacht from a millennium ago, in prime condition.

Over the past several days journey, Zolti and Anakin formed a comfortable friendship, first talking about starships before breaching more personal topics such as work and family.  Still, their conversation always returned to mechanics, both men quite the enthusiasts, and Anakin now formulated a plan based on Zolti’s descriptions on what he wanted to do to get a ship up and flying.  He planned to survey the damage to the Sith yacht, full of fuel but unable to fly, then poach engine parts from his and Obi-Wan’s transport, empty, but with a working mechanism. 

Plus, Anakin didn’t care about the transport, one of about several thousand in the galaxy.  To fly a vintage luxury yacht home…now that sounded more like it.  Padme, who herself owned a top of the line elegant ship, would be impressed.  According to Zolti, Lord Kaan purchased the ship brand new, added luxury features and weaponry, and only used it for transportation, never battle or even hosting other Sith Lords.  The ship, Tenebris, sat in mint condition, except for the damaged engine, waiting for Anakin to arrive and fix her.

The two finally came to a tall cliff overlooking the vast sea, the sky clear above them, but a huge thunderhead off shore, seeming to head their direction.    

“Tenebris is actually in a cave directly underneath us,” Zolti said.  “The climb down is not bad.  Should be easy for a Jedi.”

Anakin laughed softly, then stopped.  A tingling in the Force seemed to emit through the ground.  The Dark Side.  He shuddered.  Over the past few days, he simply thought of the ship as simply that, a starship.  But now the reality he would be entering the personal yacht of a long-dead, powerful Sith Lord hit him.  Anakin already teetered dangerously close to the Dark Side.  Would entering Tenebris affect him further?

Shrugging off the abstract feeling of foreboding, he followed Zolti down a steep path toward the cave housing the yacht.

 

 


	11. Tenebris

**Chapter Eleven**

**Tenebris**

            Anakin followed Zolti down the cliff side path, finally arriving at the cave housing the Sith ship, Tenebris.  Solar panels stood at the entrance to the cave, and the duo carefully moved past them, side-stepping the generators Zolti set up before leaving to explore months ago.

            “I’m impressed you got the ship in here,” Anakin said, also appraising Zolti’s resourceful solar power set up.  “That’s quite a narrow opening.”

            “With the engine struggling, it was rough,” Zolti said.  “But I’m Lord Kaan’s personal pilot for a reason.”  He stopped, looking thoughtful.  “Or, I was.  I suppose…hmmm.”

            Anakin patted him on the back, trying to distract himself by consoling Zolti when his whole being felt the Dark Side call to him.

            Zolti shook his head.  “Well, let’s get some light.”  He walked over to a nearby generator and entered a code on the keypad on top.  The entire cave flooded with light.  Anakin gasped, forgetting for the moment the pull of the Dark Side.

            Tenebris stood before him, a gorgeous vintage yacht of shimmering black.  The outer hull appeared triangular, the entire ship looking like a pointed, aerodynamic, asymmetrical pyramid. 

            Zolti sighed lovingly.  He turned to Anakin, his face lit up in a joy only another gear head would understand.  “The black shimmer could allow for some cloaking, a sort or mirroring, handy for a Sith in Jedi space.”  He sighed again.  “She’s a beauty.” 

            “Oh yes,” Anakin breathed, recalling a ship show on Corellia he attended with Padme months ago, her humoring him as he ran from display to display.  The exhibitors showed ancient ships, but nothing in this sort of condition.

            “Wanna see inside?  The cockpit has all the latest comforts and tech,” Zolti said, entering another code into a side panel, the ramp coming down.  Zolti then laughed.  “Well, the latest for 1,000 years ago, I suppose.  But come inside.”

            Anakin happily followed Zolti inside, embracing the moment with a fellow enthusiast, forgetting the fact he entered the lair of a very powerful ancient Sith Lord.

            Using the solar power stores, Zolti brought power to the ship, turning on the lights, heat, and other comfort systems. 

            “But do your business on the ledge outside,” he said, turning to look sternly at Anakin.  “I’m not cleaning the ‘freshers if I don’t have to.”

            “There’s more than one?”

            “Three large cabins, each with a ‘fresher,” Zolti explained, walking Anakin down the hall.  “Although one is more of a library.  The other two bedrooms, one mine, the other Kaan’s.  And we have the galley and the great room.”  They stopped in the kitchen, Anakin seeing rations in boxes upon the floor.  Zolti pointed up.  “And those stairs lead to the turboblasters.  Fully loaded.  Never used.  We stay cloaked.” 

            Anakin looked around the room, immediately noticing the elaborate decorations, from small wall tapestries to sculptures, attached to pedestals fixed to the ship in order to avoid an accident during dangerous travel.

            Anakin’s gaze fell on one sculpture in particular, a stone carving of human head, the forehead elongated, the eyes missing, and the mouth open in a fanged sneer.  Walking over to the piece, Anakin’s eyes narrowed.  Something felt familiar about the sculpture.

            “Come on!” Zolti said, sounding almost childlike in his excitement.  “I cannot wait to show you the cockpit.”

            After the tour, Zolti led Anakin to Kaan’s private cabin.  “You can stay in here.  You’ll need to make up the bed, but it’s comfortable.” He stretched and yawned.  “Get settled and let me know when you are ready to look at the engine.” Zolti disappeared into his own cabin, directly across from Kaan’s.

            Anakin felt the Dark Side shimmer in the air again.  Taking a deep breath, he turned on the lights in Kaan’s cabin, realizing he held his breath as he did so.  He let out the air in a little chuckle to himself when he saw the space.  Did he expect to see a cloaked Sith Lord standing there, ready to fight?  He simply found a bedroom.

            Walking in, Anakin placed his pack on the floor, detaching his antler from the ties and putting them on top of a chest of drawers.  Opening the drawers, expecting to find all manner of weaponry, he simply found robes in various shades of brown and black.  The small closet revealed linens, made of fine fabrics, soft to touch.  Anakin eagerly removed sheets and blankets, throwing them onto the mattress.  After sleeping out in the cold, on the ground, for several nights, a bed sounded amazing. 

            Nightstands stood on either side of the bed, and Anakin opened the drawers, on one side finding an ancient data pad, battery long dead, no charger present.  In the other drawer, something far more interesting: a framed holopic.  The picture showed several humans together, all smiling.  Men, women, old, young…they all looked out at Anakin with expressions of joy.  Curious thing to find beside the bed of a Sith.  Or was it?  Sitting on the floor and looking around, the walls decorated in art similar to the great room, Anakin realized he didn’t know too much about the Sith, truth be told, other than they were evil.

            Hearing Zolti bustle around in his own cabin, whistling some long forgotten tune, Anakin moved quietly to the library.  Several comfortable chairs sat around, a sabacc table at center.  But the shelves caught Anakin’s attention.

            “How in the world?” he gasped, approaching one shelf and pulling off a book, a real paper book, very ancient, even for this preserved ship.  Thumbing carefully through the pages, he found the thick paper bound by some form of hide, the pages elegantly decorated with bright colors, written in a language he could not read. 

            He paused in his perusal, feeling a deep sense of recognition again.  One page held elegantly drawn symbols that seemed very familiar to him.  Holding the book, he walked over to Zolti’s comfortable, yet sparse cabin.

            “Hey Zolti?” he asked, the man looking up from his unpacking.  “What language is this?”

            “Sith,” Zolti said, raising an eyebrow.  “They don’t teach you that at the Jedi Temple?”

            Anakin laughed.  “Can you read it?”

            “Anakin, I’m a pilot, not a scholar of archaic languages.”

            Retreating to the library, Anakin put the book back on the shelf next to other texts and ancient data devices.  A low humming brought his eyes to a small cabinet mounted on the wall.  Opening the small doors, he took a wobbly step back, feeling the Force almost knock him on his back.

            The cabinet consisted of three small shelves, each with five holocrons.  Fifteen Sith and Jedi holocrons sat in front of him, a few shaking and glowing as if eagerly awaiting his touch.

            “Oh…stang,” Anakin said under his breath, trying with all his might to keep his hands at his sides, not to reach out to grab the small cubes.  He knew accessing any of them to be dangerous for him; someone in the Temple archives should take them. 

            His hand rose without his consent, reaching forward, and he slapped it away with his other hand, knowing he looked foolish, but needing control.  If only Obi-Wan were here now.  What would he do?

            “That one!”

            Anakin leaped, startled by the sudden presence of Zolti at his side.  His blood boiled, and he felt the desire to hurt Zolti, to strike him down. Anakin could feel his hand rising again, this time toward his friend.

            “Stop!” Anakin screamed, forcing himself away, falling into the chair by the card table, putting his head in his hands.

            A few moments later, he felt Zolti’s hand on his shoulder. 

            “Anakin…I…I didn’t mean to startle you.  Sorry,” Zolti said hesitantly. 

            “Please…please close that cabinet,” Anakin whispered, embarrassed by his outburst. 

            Obi-Wan, I need you, he thought desperately.

            “I was only pointing out one that Lord Kaan was able to project for me,” Zolti said, Anakin hearing him close the doors.  “The Sith Lord who made it fancied himself a comedian.  It’s a holocron of just jokes.  Some funny.  Some so bad they’re funny. Some just bad.”

            Anakin raised his head.  “A comedian Sith?”  The thought seemed ridiculous.  Weren’t Sith always plotting some evil? “What about the others?”

            “I don’t know.  That’s the only one my Lord could actually project for me to see.  Sometimes he would bring them out, and a small projection would appear only he could hear.  Or sometimes he’d go into a trance.  I suppose you might be able to access them…with the Force and all…”

            “No!” shouted Anakin, leaping up and exiting the room.  “Please show me the engine.” He turned to see Zolti moving hesitantly from the library, eyeing the Jedi carefully.

            “Okay, this way,” Zolti said quietly, and Anakin followed.

            After about an hour together assessing the damage to the engine, including the hyperdrive, Zolti slipped quietly away, leaving Anakin to make lists of items needed from the transport.  Yes, the hyperdrive would definitely need replacement, but he could figure out a way to bring together the two ships to make this one fly.

            Swinging down off the outer hull of the ship, he stretched, his back a bit aching from the crouched position.  A loud rumble sounded, and Anakin looked toward the entrance of the cave, seeing the offshore thunderstorm finally made landfall.

            “Jedi!” came Zolti’s voice.  “Got some rations heated up. Want some dinner?”

            Anakin and Zolti sat quietly at the little dining table, the pilot continuing to eye Anakin from time to time.  Anakin finally put down his utensil.

            “Zolti, I’m really sorry about earlier,” he said, feeling his embarrassment rise again.

            Zolti looked up at him, his deep eyebrows furrowed in concern.  “Just…just don’t go crazy on me.  Please.  I’ve seen what some of you Force users can do and…”

            “I’ve been tempted by the Dark Side, many times over the past few years.  And…and I…may have…” he couldn’t finish the sentence, the images of the Sand People filling his mind again.  But somehow, admitting his temptations felt good, made him relieved.

            “I’ll lock the cabinet,” Zolti said. “Hide the key. And we’ll be leaving in a day or two anyway.”

            “Thank you,” Anakin said meekly, hating the feeling of weakness and at the same time suddenly realizing Zolti might understand him far more than Obi-Wan, Yoda, or even Padme.  Picking up his utensil again, his eye became drawn to the strange fanged bust he noticed earlier.  “What is that a sculpture of anyway?”

            Zolti followed his gaze.  “That guy?  Creepy, huh?  Kaan told me it is one of a set of two, the pair flanking the doorway to an ancient Sith tomb discovered hundreds of years ago.  Kaan always searches for the companion whenever we come across an art show or antique dealer.  Haven’t found it yet.  Hope we don’t.”  He paused.  “Or…I wonder if he ever did and was frustrated he lost this one.” Zolti grew quiet, looking introspective as he ate.

            Anakin found himself eating and staring at the sculpture, the toothy grin and strange familiarity with the object unsettling him more and more. 

            Elsewhere, Obi-Wan took a seat at the back of the assembly around the central fire.  Everyone gathered facing Neah, who sat conversing and laughing with a group of women as everyone got settled. Shortly, she would begin her performance.

            Earlier that day, the wayward hunting party arrived back, a group of ten young and middle-aged men and women.  They carried small game and unfinished furs with them along with exciting news: a mammoth herd headed toward the area of the tribe.  A new hunting party would be formed in a few days to take one down.  Neah explained to Obi-Wan that the creatures were so large, and the people used most of the animal, that communities sought to kill a mammoth near to home in order to salvage as much of the beast as possible.  Obi-Wan could feel the anticipation ripple through the tribe.

            Now another excitement buzzed around him as everyone waited for the entire community to be there for Neah’s performance.  The village consisted of several dozen people, and many waved to Obi-Wan as they arrived, the Jedi still a curiosity.  But Obi-Wan found himself gazing at Neah, both proud of her for causing such excitement and a little nervous as well.

            He’d spent the afternoon with her in the guest home as she prepared, going through three different clothing and jewelry changes, practicing her numbers (an old favorite of this particular tribe as well as five new songs telling of neighboring communities from the sea to the plains), and pacing around wringing her hands and fiddling with her hair nervously.  When Obi-Wan finally got her to sit down, he taught her a meditation technique he learned as a youngling, and the two sat in a comfortable silence for some time before she left to go to the performance space.

            Now she looked at ease, although he could see her anxiety still by the way she drummed her fingers on her knees.  But no one else noticed except himself, and he realized suddenly of all the people present, he knew Neah best.  He’d become her confidante, her friend and she his.  He’d been wrestling with these feelings throughout their week with these people, especially since the incident with Akule when he failed to mention Neah had no mate.  He’d become possessive of her to the point he now felt great pride in seeing her onstage now.  He knew these to be natural responses to attachment, particularly of the romantic kind, but very un-Jedi, very un-Obi-Wan, who’d always been the model Jedi, the poster boy, as Anakin once put it in his smart ass tone, for the Jedi Order.

            Yes, the poster boy, who now questioned his own role as a Jedi.  He hadn’t much when he’d been in his home galaxy, so wrapped up in his work, in defending the Republic.  But now, so far from home, he realized he might not be that person he built himself into all those years.  No…he may not want to be that person.  Not anymore.  Obi-Wan realized a few days ago he’d been given the chance to live another life, and he found he rather enjoyed it.

            He never knew anything other than the Jedi, and he embraced that existence.  But the moment he and Anakin got swept away, something felt different within him, and he now questioned everything he ever knew, ever did.  Furthermore, he’d been instantly taken by this place.  And when they arrived on this world, he’d felt enchanted, like he belonged here somehow.  Why?  He remembered he’d been the one to tell Anakin where to land, to this location.  Why choose here and not the equator or one of the other large land masses?

            And to add to these mysteries, he wondered about Anakin.  Was he alone or had he found people as well?  And the dark-skinned, Basic-speaking stranger who killed the wolf?  How did he fit into all this? 

            Obi-Wan quickly put these thoughts to the back of his mind as a hush fell upon the crowd.  Neah stood at center and looked up at him.  He smiled broadly at her and nodded.  She grinned at him, which knocked the breath from his lungs, and turned to the audience.  She began with her first song, the tale of a small community to the east, driven from their land by a forest fire only to find a more prosperous valley elsewhere.  Obi-Wan heard this song several times before, but listening now, amongst an audience reacting to her words and gestures, felt like he heard it for the first time.  He only tore his eyes away from her to watch the reactions of others, everyone avidly listening the woman below.  His woman, his Neah.

            Her voice alone filled the night, the melody dancing on the air, her words floating above the people and into the sky.  Obi-Wan imagined her voice drifting through time and space, traveling great distances.  Such fancy, but listening to the songs made him feel a bit dreamy and whimsical. 

            The entire performance of six histories took nearly an hour, and when finished, Neah bowed quickly and sat, taking a drink of water.  The audience stood and cheered loudly, to which Neah rose and bowed again, Obi-Wan seeing her cheeks a bit red from the attention.  While many people got up to head back to their homes for the evening, several went to speak to Neah, the crowd slowly dissipating.  Finally, she stood alone, watching the fire in contemplation as he rose and approached her.

            She turned to him, smiling, speaking quickly in her excitement.  “I thought it went well, don’t you?  I made that verse error during the second song.  I should have done the chorus but jumped right into the third verse.  And then I lost my beat for a moment in the story of the stag hunt.  I really need to work on the transitions in that one.  But it came off…” She paused, Obi-Wan realizing they now stood face-to-face.  She looked up at him, her eyes widening.

            This time, Obi-Wan did not hesitate.  Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers, his right hand cupping her cheek, his left falling to her waist.  The kiss simple, he felt her lips press back, and he closed his eyes, allowing his other senses to take over.  Her familiar scent filled him, of trees, of the forest, and he heard her sigh softly, opening her mouth a little, deepening their kiss.  She tasted wonderful, of the spicy root so popular to chew upon here after mealtimes.  And her hair, which he allowed his fingers to glide through now, soft, silky.

            Realizing suddenly he hadn’t made a plan for breathing before diving in for a kiss, he pulled away slowly, now looking into her eyes, seeing a bit of his own reflection in the deep brown color lit by the nearby fire.  She’d placed both her hands on his shoulders during their kiss, and they now stood with their bodies against one another, pressed together in the chilly evening air.

            “Obi-Wan,” she said softly, regarding him in wonder. 

            “Neah,” he breathed, feeling as if saying her name for the first time.  His whole body felt aflame, but not with guilt or anxiety over the Jedi Code.  No, this felt right, in every sense of the word.  And the Force embraced him now in a way he never felt before.  He could feel it all around him, pressing into him, shining from within him, surrounding him completely.  Surrounding him and Neah.

At that moment, he knew without a doubt the answer to one of the mysteries of his and Anakin’s journey.  He’d chosen this place on this world to find Neah.  He knew it, felt it in himself and in the Force.

            Now as to why he needed to find Neah, he didn’t care to question at the moment.  He simply leaned down and kissed her again.

 

 


	12. Art

**Chapter Twelve**

**Art**

            Obi-Wan lay in the dark, wide awake, the fire slowly fading beside him.  Neah lie in her own bed across the room in the guest home, and Obi-Wan could sense her awake as well. 

            Following their kiss by the fire after the performance…well, multiple kisses, truth be told…they’d been interrupted by one of the tribal elders, Tama, inviting them for a treat before bed, some sweet cakes that tasted like they could have come from the finest bakery on Coruscant.  Another two hours of conversation followed, Neah promising to teach a few in-community storytellers her songs before moving on to the next village.

            The couple came back to the guest house, Obi-Wan’s sleepiness after the sweet cakes suddenly gone, his senses on high alert, wondering what would happen now that they kissed. But they quietly got ready to sleep, as they had the past several evenings, and silence followed.

            Obi-Wan had no idea what to do next.  The moment he kissed her, the Force spoke to him, told him he’d taken the right path, that he belonged here, on this world, with Neah.  Did that mean he and Anakin were stuck here, and they needed to make lives for themselves in this strange place?  What exactly did that entail?  Where was Anakin?  And what came next for him and Neah?

            Damning his lack of knowledge of romantic protocol, he shifted in his bed, sighing in frustration.

            “Obi-Wan?” Neah said softly in the dark.

            “Yes?” he answered, his mouth suddenly dry.  His body lit up again, wanting to close the distance between them, move over and crawl under her furs, into her bed.  But he was no scoundrel; he’d always prided himself a gentleman.

            “You kissed me,” she said plainly, Obi-Wan wishing he could see her face.

            “Well, um…you kissed me back,” he said defensively.

            Neah let out a delighted laugh.  “Yes, I did.” She grew quiet again.  “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while,” she said finally.  “I like you, Obi-Wan.  I feel…close to you.  My heart, my body, my mind.”

            Obi-Wan’s own heart began to beat quickly.  Should he get up and move over to her?

            “I know you are looking for your brother…and you want to return to your home, to beyond, but…” she hesitated.

            “Yes?” he said, hearing the eagerness in his own voice.

            “Maybe…you would like to travel with me…for a bit…maybe,” she said, then continued quickly.  “Or maybe…maybe not.  I’m…you…”

            Hearing her hesitance, her nervousness, made Obi-Wan feel better.  They both seemed to be quite new at this, both novices at ages where they should know better.  Obi-Wan felt comforted by this, his apprehensions leaving him…for the most part.

            “I would love to travel with you, Neah.  Be your companion,” he said.  “I must admit though, I am new to this…this…” He did not know how to say romance in her language, so he finished in Basic.  “I am not skilled in romance.  This is a new experience for me.”

            “Me too,” she answered in her language.

            At this, Obi-Wan sat up, finally seeing her in the dimming fire light, lying on her back across the room.

            “How did you know what I said?  I spoke in the language of my home,” he said.

            She sat up as well, her hair falling messily about her face.  “No you didn’t.  I understood you completely.”

            Obi-Wan stared at her, puzzled.  She finally smiled and lie back down on her side, facing him.

            “I see the singers early tomorrow, but we can meet midday for a walk,” she said.

            Obi-Wan snuggled back down, facing her as well, drowsily watching as she fell asleep.  That was the second time she understood his Basic, he knew it. Or maybe more, and he hadn’t realized.  Shifting to lie on his back again, he puzzled this over before again pondering the new change in their relationship.

            The next day, he awoke to an empty room, Neah having left early.  Rain pounded on the wooden roof of the house, and Obi-Wan lazily lounged for a bit, listening to the pattering, thinking of Neah’s lips against his.  Realizing his daydreaming started to intrude on a productive day, Obi-Wan got dressed and emerged, ready to head to the river to work with the fishermen.

            Pulling up the hood of the hide and fur jacket he wore, he passed through the homes of the village, Tama coming out of a nearby hut.

            “Obi-Wan,” she called to him, beckoning him into the home.  “Don’t bother heading to the fishing waters.  The river is very rough today from the storm that came from the coast.  All the fisherman returned an hour ago.”

            An hour ago?  Obi-Wan glanced at the gray skies, trying to get some indication from the sun as to how long he slept in.  Lulling the morning away in pleasant thoughts of a woman.  Anakin would surely find a lot to tease Obi-Wan about…if they were reunited.

            “Here, my child,” Tama said, gesturing to a bench and handing him a cup of steaming seeped herbs, pleasant and warm after being in the wind and rain.

            “Thank you,” Obi-Wan said, taking a sip. 

            “I am so pleased to see Neah with such a kind and hard-working man.  She is very deserving of love and care, and I have often worried about her, out in the world alone,” Tama said, sipping her own drink. 

            “I…um…Neah is…yes…wonderful,” he bumbled, then took another drink.  He imagined Qui-Gon rolling his eyes and putting his forehead in his palm at his former apprentice’s lack of elegance and tact.

            “I would like to extend an invitation to you and Neah, for you to become a part of our tribe.  I have heard much from the fishermen about your efficiency and endurance.  And Neah would bring much prestige to our community,” Tama continued, smiling warmly at Obi-Wan.  Her whole manner reminded him of Yoda, the wise and compassionate sage.

            “I…we deeply appreciate the invitation,” Obi-Wan said, a little shocked that images of himself and Neah, living out their lives in this valley by the river, began to roll like a holoshow through his head.  Days on the river fishing, nights in their home, lying together as rain fell on the roof.  This all sounded so pleasant, especially after years of fighting and trying, often failing, to keep peace for the Republic.  To be just a man, with a woman, on this world far, far away from anywhere.

            “Of course you need to speak with your mate,” Tama said.  “And no rush.  You may stay as long as you need.” She winked.  “But hopefully forever.  I would love to see what you and Neah’s children would look like.”

            Children?!  Obi-Wan must have given her quite the look because she laughed.

            “Neah said she is working on a song about you, your home and time as a warrior,” Tama said.  “Can you tell me a bit about the Beyond?”

            Obi-Wan visited with Tama for quite some time before emerging to seek out Neah.  By now, the rain had stopped, the occasional shower passing through.  People with outdoor work began to go about their usual duties, everyone greeting Obi-Wan as he passed, one group of women finally pointing him in the direction of Neah.

            He found her near the river, a ways down from the fishing spot, alone and singing.  Obi-Wan immediately knew she performed something new, as he hadn’t heard this melody yet.  She sat nestled in between several large boulders, which he’d seen from afar but hadn’t approached, and she obviously chose the spot for the seclusion.  Hoping not to interrupt her newest song, he crept up slowly. 

            Her familiar voice rose from the rocks:

Obi-Wan from Beyond, from far away

Knocked about by the river, from his brother torn away

Pale of skin, hair like the sun

His blue eyes speak of journeys begun

A warrior to his people, a savior of man

He…ahhhhh!

            She stopped her song, shaking her head, then picked up a stick and began beating a rhythm on a nearby stone.  Obi-Wan watched this process before as she prepared for her performances, and he marveled as she began to hum an entirely new melody to the beat she created, something he never heard before.  Having always been a warrior, a Jedi Knight turned Master, he never ventured into the arts, but hearing her process fascinated him.

            And she sung about him!  Obi-Wan felt his heart swell.  While he knew he helped many people over the years, he always considered himself in the background, unnoticed except by his close friends and the Council.  Particularly when Anakin came around and he became the teacher to the Chosen One.  Anakin, with his natural gifts, was simply far more interesting than Obi-Wan, and the Jedi Master was happy to remain in the shadows, the general who led his troops then retreated from glory.  

            Now someone wrote song specifically for him, paid attention to him, was interested in him.  And such a person!  Neah, trekking through the world on her own, braving the wilderness to bring knowledge to others.  A songstress, an artist, a beautiful woodland maiden enchanting the warrior Obi-Wan with song.

            Obi-Wan shook his head, knocking that ridiculous romantic fantasy out of his mind.  That sounded like something from a cheesy holodrama!  And Obi-Wan was anything but a hopeless romantic!

            “How long have you been there?” Neah said angrily, now standing in front of him, the place he froze by the boulders.  Goodness, had he just been standing there like some fool? 

            “I um…I like my song,” he stammered.

            “You are not supposed to hear it until it is done,” she said firmly.  “And it’s terrible right now!  I’m so embarrassed.  How could you…why are you smiling?”

            “Nobody ever sang about me.  I’m…flattered.”

            Neah shook her head, her anger gone.  “But it…well, it just doesn’t flow nicely yet.  I need a melody first I think.”

            “I want to compose a song for you,” Obi-Wan said suddenly, then realizing what he just implied.

            She raised her eyebrows in what he now knew to be her expectant expression.  He cleared his throat and sang:

            Neah, her hair black like the night, voice like a bird

            Brave and beautiful and…um…I don’t know many a word?

            They both burst out laughing, and Neah stepped up to Obi-Wan, wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers sliding up into his hair.

            “Obi-Wan, my bear,” she said, kissing him full on the mouth.

            Bolder than the night before, Obi-Wan pulled her close and opened his mouth, their kiss deep, exciting, satisfying.  Everything. He lost track of time until she pulled away, still holding onto him.

            “Would you like to go on the mammoth hunt?” she asked.

            “Huh?” asked Obi-Wan, his mind still with the kiss.

            “I am staying with this community until the mammoth hunt, then…”

            “Oh yes!” Obi-Wan said, pulling her over to a stone to sit.  He told her about Tama’s invitation to stay.

            Neah looked thoughtful.  “I would like to settle down with a community…and this valley is one of my favorites.” She gave him a sly look.  “Still my pretend mate, huh?”  He felt himself reddening, but before he could respond, she continued.  “I am due to the tribe along the shore, where this river meets the sea, following here.  But after that, I have no obligations.” She laughed.  “They only want us here because we would add variety.  You are a bit of a novelty.”

            Obi-Wan nodded.  “Yes, it’s natural to seek out genetic variety.”

            Neah looked at him puzzled.  “Genetic variety?” she repeated his Basic.

            “Different blood…in the families,” he explained, then remembered Tama’s comments about children and could feel himself blushing again.  But isn’t this what the Force wanted of him?

            Neah entwined her hand with his and leaned her head on his shoulder.  “Hmmm…well, let’s just worry about the mammoth hunt for now.”

            Obi-Wan leaned his cheek on the top of her head and brought her hand up to his lips as another rain shower began to fall.

            Later that evening, Anakin prepared to sleep his second night in Lord Kaan’s cabin.  He and Zolti spent a productive day getting ready for the impending repairs to the Tenebris, and the two men would be heading back to Anakin’s transport in the morning, what would be a several day journey on foot.  Still, Zolti owned a fully charged float cart they would use to haul back the hyperdrive and other replacement pieces.

            Sighing heavily, Anakin shut off the lights and put his head on the pillow, willing himself to dream of Padme, hoping not much time passed, but fearing the worst.  Two years for Zolti, a thousand in their home galaxy?  This did not bode well for Anakin.

            “Padme,” he whispered as he drifted away, asking the Force to send her to his dreams.

            Instead, Chancellor Palpatine’s face greeted him from across the table in his office near the Senate. 

            “I must say, Anakin,” the man said in a jovial tone, one of his assistants pouring cups of caf, another setting out a plate of delicious looking pastries.  “I am so proud of you.”

            “Thank you, sir,” Anakin said, and he suddenly realized this dream was a memory, the time he’d been invited to have caf with the Chancellor after becoming a Jedi Knight.

            “I am so sorry about your hand.  But I do trust the surgeons fixed you up nicely,” Palpatine continued.

            “Yes. I think I will just need to get used to it, that’s all,” Anakin said, holding his mug up in a silent toast with the Chancellor. 

As he drank, his eyes drifted to a stone tablet hanging near the entrance to the office.  Words in a language he did not recognize etched in stone, looking to be taken off the side of some ancient temple.  But the Chancellor did have a love of art…

“I remember,” Palpatine said, leaning back in his seat and smiling warmly at Anakin.  “I remember when I first met you, Anakin.  A boy removed from slavery, becoming a Jedi Knight.” He sighed, sipped his caf, then continued.  “Such power, my boy.  And such a victory for you.  And you know the old saying, through victory, your chains will be broken.”  He raised his mug in another toast.  “The Force is with you, Anakin.  And the Force freed you.”

The image froze, Anakin suddenly breathless.  His vision refocused to the sculpture behind the Chancellor.  A stone bust of a head, the forehead elongated, eyes bulbous, eyebrows drawn down as if angry, no mouth.

He refocused on the frozen Palpatine.  No…it couldn’t be…impossible…but…

Anakin awoke and leaped from the bed, running from the room for the library.  Grabbing the book he’d seen the day before, the passages in ancient Sith, he found the page that seemed so familiar.  Yes, yes, the words in the carving by the Chancellor’s office door. 

Throwing the book onto the sabaac table, Anakin rushed toward the galley.  He stared at the statue, the bust with no eyes and the fanged smile.  Zolti said this was one of a pair that guarded the doors to an ancient Sith tomb…and Anakin had seen the mate to this stature.

Anakin’s stomach became a mess of knots and nausea threatened.  He dashed to Zolti’s cabin, throwing open the door and turning on the lights.

“Palpatine!” he shouted, Zolti sitting up, startled.

“What the kriff, Anakin!” Zolti shouted.  “What in the name of all that is…”

“Do you know the Sith Code?”

“What?”

“Ths Sith Code?  Do you know it?”

Zolti looked sleepy and confused, but he sighed heavily.  “Yeah, I think I remember it.  Had a sort of repetition to it.”

“Please recite it,” Anakin said, desperate, wishing Zolti understood.

Zolti took a deep breathe.  “Peace is a lie.  There is only passion.  Hmmm…then…ah yes.  Through passion, I gain strength.  Through strength, I gain power.  Through power, I gain victory.  Through victory…”

“My chains will be broken,” Anakin said, his voice brittle.  Oh no…

“Yes!  Very good.  Nice work, Anakin.  Now good night,” Zolti said, beginning to lie back down.

“Palpatine!  The Chancellor!  The head of the Senate!  He’s the Sith Lord!”

Zolti shook his head, yawned, and rubbed his eye with his palm.  “Great.  Shut off the light on the way out.”

“You don’t understand!  A Sith Lord is running the Republic!” Anakin cried. 

Suddenly, everything seemed so clear.  The clone troopers, the war, the Jedi spread all over the galaxy, even the events on Naboo all those years ago.  And now the artwork.  Force help them all, Palpatine surrounded himself with Sith art.  Everything made sense, everything pointed to Palpatine. 

“A Sith Lord as Chancellor?” chuckled Zolti.  “My, Lord Kaan would be pleased indeed.”

“This is not funny!” hissed Anakin, dashing toward Zolti, who suddenly appeared wide awake and slightly fearful.  Anakin froze, himself frightened by his sudden reaction.  Of course Zolti would have a different point of view.  Calm down, Anakin.  “Sorry…but we need to get back…now!”

Zolti stared at Anakin with concern, then shrugged.  “We leave in the morning.  Travel at night is difficult and dangerous.  And who knows, the man might already be dead.  Sith are good at self-destruction.”  He moved to lay back down.  “You should try not to worry.  There is nothing you can do that we are not already doing.”

Knowing he’d been dismissed, and he’d been rather callous and demanding to Zolti to begin with, Anakin retreated from Zolti’s cabin and shut the door.  Pacing up and down the hall, he knew he would never get back to sleep.  He imagined Padme, at one of her meetings with the Chancellor, sitting right between Senator Organa and a Sith Lord.  He needed to find Obi-Wan.  Goodness, what would he think?

He finally found himself back in the galley, glaring at the Sith stature, his stomach churning, his mind throbbing with darkness, wondering how he and the rest of the Jedi, even Master Yoda, had been duped all these years.

 

 

 

           

           

              


	13. Sith Lords

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Sith Lords**

 

            Anakin and Zolti took several days to return to the spot where the Jedi hid the transport.  Trudging through the forest, areas often powdered with snow, Anakin lamented to Zolti most of the first day.

            “This entire time, Zolti.  Years.  Palpatine,” he said, the pilot walking a couple of feet behind him.

            “Mmm hmm,” Zolti said, sounding disinterested.

            Anakin stopped short and turned quickly.  “You don’t understand.  Palpatine.  He’s been there, the whole time.  And thinking back, he convinced Padme to put in the vote of no confidence…and he became chancellor,” Anakin could feel himself growing angry again.  “He played the Jedi.  He played me.  And he played my wife.”

            Zolti looked at him, one eyebrow raised.  “Sounds like a pretty standard Sith to me.”

            Anakin felt like punching the smug idiot in the face.  But as he looked at Zolti, he realized he had an excellent resource available.  Calming himself, he turned and continued to walk. 

            “So…what are the Sith really like?”

            Zolti laughed.  “Well, I really only worked with Kaan.  I would occasionally see some of the others, but I was always just waiting for Kaan, taking him from place to place.” Zolti sighed.  “Honestly, he was great.  Occasionally moody, but I’ve learned in recent days this applies to Jedi as well.” 

            Anakin snorted a laugh.

            “He’d sit with me in the cockpit.  We’d eat together. We’d talk about our families.  He’d tell me dirty jokes he’d heard.  We’d make fun of celebrities, politicians, the other Sith, the Jedi.  He was like my brother, really,” Zolti said.  “You know, I missed my sister’s wedding…by a thousand years I guess.  And I miss my family and friends.  But I also miss him.” He sighed.  “And to hear what happened, that all the Sith destroyed themselves…well, that sounds like Kaan, so damned self-righteous sometimes, but…I’m sad.  He was a person too.  I know you think of them differently but…” his voice faded.

            Anakin thought of Palpatine, someone he once considered a friend.  But how much of that was real and how much manipulation?

            And the idea Palpatine may have manipulated Padme made Anakin’s flesh crawl.

            Zolti continued.  “But your Palpatine…he sounds like quite the ambitious Sith.  With no army, he single-handedly worked his way into power.”

            “No…he used the Jedi as his army.  The clones,” Anakin hissed.

            “All I can say is you are working with a very cunning Sith,” Zolti said.  “Kaan was smart and often ruthless, but there was a nobility about him.  Many of them, in fact.  Sure, they’d stab you in the back if it would give them the upper hand, but Kaan, and others, believed in bringing the Sith together, forming a galaxy-wide empire.”  Zolti chuckled.  “But for your Sith Lord to do this all on his own…well played.”

            Anakin nodded.  Yes, he had to admit, Palpatine deserved a round of applause…right before Anakin took off his head with his lightsaber.   

            Days later, Anakin and Zolti worked on stripping the hyperdrive from the transport, carefully packing and loading the mechanism onto the float cart.

            “I like this area,” Zolti said as they worked.  “When I first arrived, I lingered near the shore.  A very kind group of people live near the yacht’s cave.  Took me in for a bit, taught me their variation of the region’s language, showed me how to hunt the animals around here, fish.  But then I wanted to explore, move inland.  Such a beautiful planet.  I’ve grown used to this world, honestly resigned myself to staying.”

            “Obi-Wan sure seemed enchanted with it when we first arrived,” Anakin said, then stopped abruptly, something occurring to him for the first time.  “Obi-Wan.  He sensed you, the ship.  He knew exactly where to come.  We could have landed anywhere, but he pointed to right here, almost insisted that we land in this region.  He could feel the ship through the Force.” Anakin began to laugh.  “Good ol’ Obi-Wan.  They call me the Chosen One, but sometimes I think he’s a far better Jedi.” He turned to Zolti with a grin.  “Never tell him I said that.”

            Zolti shrugged.  “Of course.”

            Anakin went back to his work, salvaging a few more necessary parts from the engine.  “He’s always so calm, in tune with the Force.  I was just freaking out.”

            “Whoa, wait.  What?  You freak out?  Never!” said Zolti, his voice drenched in sarcasm.

            But Anakin laughed the comment off, having calmed a bit over the past day, feeling that with their arrival at the transport, progress was being made.  Plus, he found himself enjoying Zolti’s company, his quick wit, his stories from a distant past.  And making this connection between Obi-Wan and the ship made Anakin feel much better about his former master’s strange behavior upon first arriving in this galaxy.  He sensed the ship and Zolti, and this led to the revelation of Palpatine as the Sith Lord.  Yes, Obi-Wan proved yet again to be one with the Force, even if he didn’t know why he felt the way he did.  Anakin almost laughed aloud.  Who would guess the duo would discover a connection to the Sith twenty million light years away?  Not even the great Obi-Wan.

            Anakin let his mind wonder as they secured the materials, he and Zolti set to head back to the Tenebris at first light.  He imagined Obi-Wan camped out somewhere, alone by a fire, perhaps meditating, reaching out to the Force.  Anakin would find him once they got the ship flying, and Obi-Wan would have a plan on how to handle Palpatine, the time difference, everything.  Despite the panic that seemed to always lay at the edge of his mind, he felt a bit of peace knowing Obi-Wan was somewhere not too far away, that Obi-Wan would know what to do next.

            Neah and Obi-Wan walked toward the back of the hunting party, both carrying packs of food.  A hunting scout returned the day before to tell the people of the river valley tribe the mammoths neared, and now the hunting party sought out a good location to wait for the herd.  The mammoths moved in the direction of a canyon north of the river, about three miles from the village, so the party needed to find a good campsite nearby from which to work.

            Spirits were high as the group marched along, having crossed the river an hour before, but weapons and packs made the going slow.  The hunting party consisted of mostly young men and women, Obi-Wan realizing he and Neah might be some of the older members of the fifteen individuals, aside from one of the tribal elders.

            He enjoyed walking beside Neah, asking her again to describe a mammoth, loving how she poetically spoke of her world.  Over the past several days, he spent most of his time, other than his work fishing, with the woman.  He brought her flowers he’d found yesterday, something he often saw in holopics, and she stared at them in delight before taking them, weaving them into a small head peace, and putting them in her hair, leaving one to tuck behind his ear.  He felt silly until she kissed him, and he knew he’d done well, as the kiss soon grew into their most passionate yet.  And while they still seemed a bit hesitant around one another, once their lips met, or he brushed over her hand with his, he was on fire.

            “What was your happiest day?” Neah asked, taking his hand in hers.

            He glanced over at her, wanting to say today, but he knew she’d raise her eyebrow, think him to be joking.  But he wouldn’t be, of course.  He’d never been happy like this.

            He thought for a moment, realizing he’d experienced many tragic, dangerous, and frightening days over the years.  Finally, one came to him.

            “The day Qui-Gon chose me for his apprentice,” Obi-Wan said.

            “Your father?” Neah asked.

            “Yes…but not by blood,” Obi-Wan said, remembering he’d used the word father for Qui-Gon when he didn’t know many words.

            “I understand,” she said.

            “Everyone else my age either went off to work in the Agricultural Corps…um, with plants…or got chosen to train as warriors.  I trained with Master Yoda, but…I was beginning to think I would never be picked by a Jedi Knight…um, warrior.  Then Qui-Gon came and…well, I felt my time really began,” Obi-Wan said, feeling warm at the thought of Qui-Gon.  The wind blew softly through the trees, and Obi-Wan could almost feel his master’s Force signature, that comforting, strong influence.

            “I wish I could meet Qui-Gon,” Neah said.

            “Yes…losing him was my saddest day,” he said, without hesitation.  He turned to Neah.  “What is your happiest day?”

            “Like yours, when father began to train me as a storyteller.  He always said I sang like a songbird.  Being able to perform with my parents, my brother…I belonged,” she turned to him, a sad look in her eyes.  “But when my brother and I discovered our home village gone, our family gone.  And then losing him.” She sighed.  “I have a couple of sad days.”  Her smile came again. “But now you are here and…”

            “We make camp here!” shouted the leader of the hunting party. 

            The group went to work setting up, the scout once again sent to check on the status of the mammoth herd.  As darkness soon fell, people began to turn in early, excitement in the air over the impending hunt.

            Neah and Obi-Wan set up the hide tent given to them, spreading furs on the ground inside.  Crawling in, Obi-Wan realized the space had just enough room for two people to lie down – very close.

            Snuggled together, Obi-Wan faced Neah, their noses inches apart, their bodies pressed together.  Oh dear, he thought, wondering how he could control himself, once again wondering why the Force pressed in on him, seeming to compel him to reach for her.

            “Well…ah…good night,” he said, staring at her long black eyelashes.

            “Good night,” she said, leaning in to kiss him softly on the lips. 

            But the kiss didn’t stop there. Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush up against him.  She didn’t resist, her hand on his face, moving to the back of his neck, caressing him softly as they kissed.  Moving his hands up and down her back, he pulled her over so she lay almost on top of him, her weight feeling good, arousing him more.  His roaming hands paused over her rear, and he heard her gasp softly.  Obi-Wan broke their kiss quickly.

            “Um…sorry…I…oh!” he stammered, surprised as Neah slid her left hand under his shirt, her soft, strong fingers running across his bare torso.  How could such a simple touch feel so wonderful?

            But her hand moved across his stomach, and he began to squirm, not realizing he was ticklish there.  Neah stopped and sat up slightly, a devilish gleam in her eyes.

            “Does that tickle?” she said slyly.

            “No, it…Neah!” he cried, then broke down laughing as she tickled him harder.

Not able to control himself, he wrestled with her in the tiny tent, soon finding himself on top of her, Neah looking up at him smiling, her long black hair spread out along the furs. The only light coming in from a fire several yards away, muted by the hides, the darkness heightened his senses, and he used the Force to reach out to her.  As he did, he heard her sigh underneath him, and he felt desire from her.  Desire for him.

She reached up with one hand, ran her fingers through his hair, and pulled his head down, kissing him roughly on the mouth, her other hand once again moving under his shirt, this time running up his back, no longer tickling but pulling him to her.  Obi-Wan could slowly feel himself slipping into the pleasure of the moment, and emboldened, moved his own hand down, sliding his fingers underneath her shirt.

Suddenly the sides of the tent began to move violently, and Obi-Wan sat up with a start.

“Obi-Wan and Neah!  Obi-Wan and Neah!” came chanting voices from outside, then loud peals of laughter.  The voices soon faded.

Obi-Wan looked back at Neah who sat up as well, and he could see her cheeks redden, despite the increasing darkness.

“Um…we should go to sleep,” she said, then laughed.  “And be prepared.  They are going to tease us tomorrow.”

Obi-Wan lay back down with Neah, wondering what this teasing would entail. 

In the early hours of the morning, Obi-Wan awoke slowly, hearing a deep rumbling in the distance.  Thinking it to be the weather, he yawned and began to slip back into sleep, nuzzling into Neah’s hair, which seemed to be all over the place.

The flap of their tent opened abruptly, the leader of the hunting party sticking his head inside, startling Obi-Wan to full alertness.

“The mammoths have arrived.  Get ready.”

The man left, Obi-Wan hearing him alert the others.  Neah sat up, turning to Obi-Wan with a sleepy smile. 

“Come on, bear,” she said, using her term of endearment for him.  “You’ll finally get to see a mammoth.”

 

 


	14. Mammoth Hunt

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Mammoth Hunt**

            Standing at the top of the rocky ridge overlooking the ravine the mammoth herd now lumbered through, Obi-Wan could not take his eyes off the majestic creatures.

            Neah slipped her gloved hand into his.  “Beautiful, aren’t they?  And look how much food, how much clothing, even fuel, just one will provide.”

            Obi-Wan just nodded.  He’d seen some incredible animals throughout his travels as a Jedi, but something captured his heart about these creatures, just like this whole world captivated him.  Their large bodies covered in thick brown fur, heavy tusks of white, and long snouts made them stand out from the other animals he already encountered.

            But as he watched the hunting party gather together in a small circle, he felt a twinge of sadness at killing one of those creatures.  Of course, they intended to use everything, and Obi-Wan came face-to-face with the rather tidy existence he’d become accustomed to as a citizen of a space-faring galactic republic.  Sure, he’s had to kill creatures for food from time to time on various missions over the years, but nothing this grand.  And most of his meals came pre-slaughtered.  He almost chuckled aloud thinking about the occasional nerf steak dinner he and Mace indulged in at a steakhouse near the Temple.  Neither man ever killed and butchered his own nerf.

            “We need to get one of the smaller ones away from the others,” the leader told the group.  “Once away from the herd, we can attack from all sides.  Aim for the heart, the lungs.  We may need to disable the animal like last time, so aim for major muscles in the legs.  But make it quick.”

            Neah placed her hand on Obi-Wan’s cheek.  “We don’t want it to suffer.  The people of this area, that hunt the mammoth, respect the animal.  It is a gift,” she said to him.  “It will already be terrified. We will work quickly.”

            “I…I understand,” Obi-Wan said, studying her.  Had she sensed his concern?  Between Neah understanding his Basic and sensing his feelings, Obi-Wan began to suspect her to be Force-sensitive.  But how could he explain such a thing?

            Soon, the hunters spread apart, the mammoth herd moving toward the location of the humans.  Neah moved toward a good vantage point along the ridge, out of the way and ready to observe, but not before giving Obi-Wan a long, passionate kiss for good luck. 

            Lingering toward the back of the group of humans, Obi-Wan knew the first step was to remove the selected beast from the rest of the herd, avoiding the largest male, as they often could be the most aggressive and dangerous.  Neah told many a story of fallen hunters.

            Then, events moved very quickly, Obi-Wan not having a chance to consider things further.  With loud noises and shouts, the humans separated into small groups, frightening the herd into a stampede, Obi-Wan counting about a dozen animals.  Through thrown stones and shouts, a lone mammoth soon stood, surrounded by the hunters.

            “Aim your spears for the heart!” shouted the leader.

            In that moment, Obi-Wan could feel the terror of the creature as well as the determination of his fellow hunters through the Force.  Still, the animal’s fear touched him, and he suddenly needed this to end now.  Situated toward the front of the animal, Obi-Wan raised his hand up.

            “Wait!” he yelled, causing the other humans to pause.  He brought back the spear he’d been issued, ready to throw, putting the Force behind his strength.  Like Neah said, the animal shouldn’t suffer.  This creature was a gift.

            Suddenly, the mammoth reared up on its hind legs with a roar, the hunters falling back in panic.  Obi-Wan heard Neah scream from the top of the ridge, his name echoing from her through the ravine.

            Neah’s scream and the mammoth now moving quickly toward him brought Obi-Wan fully in the moment.

            “Sorry, my friend,” he whispered, then reached out one last time through the Force, into the animal itself, visualizing the large heart.  He threw the spear with all his strength and the added energy of the Force, piercing the organ.  Within a moment, the animal fell to the ground, dead.

            The hunters stood around in shock, not looking at the fallen beast, but Obi-Wan.  The leader stepped forward.

            “You…you brought it down with one blow?” he said, his eyes wide. 

            Obi-Wan turned to look at Neah up on the ridge.  She stood in her furs, staring at him with a look of wonder.  She moved slowly down to join the silent group.

            Beginning to feel uncomfortable, Obi-Wan gave her a pleading look.  She again seemed to know his feelings, sense his panic, for she grabbed his hand and lifted it.

            “Obi-Wan the warrior, the bear, the hunter of mammoths!  Obi-Wan from Beyond!” she proclaimed, and the group cheered loudly, surrounding him in a series of embraces and pats on the back.

            The next several hours Obi-Wan watched the group take care of the mammoth quickly, some members working on the hide, others on the meat.  Everyone refused his help, insisting he take a break since he brought down the beast himself.  This was all for the best, because Obi-Wan’s stomach began to churn as he watched them butcher the mammoth.  Soon, groups began heading back to the village, knowing they’d need to make multiple trips. 

            Neah took Obi-Wan away from the site, walking with him through the woods.

            “When the mammoth reared on you, my heart stopped,” she said, wrapping one arm around his waist as they walked.  He draped his arm over her shoulder, feeling the wonderful sensation of her closeness.  “I knew I’d be working on a song about this hunt, but I didn’t know it would become a part of your song too.”  She stopped and stepped before him.  Her brown eyes met his, a curious light behind them.  “You are different than us, aren’t you?”

            Obi-Wan laughed nervously.  “Well, my skin is quite a bit lighter and this red, rather floppy mess on my head…”

            She shook her head, still looking at him seriously.  “That is not what I mean.  You can feel the world differently.  I know.”  She studied the ground, now looking puzzled herself.  “But I don’t know how I know.”

            Because you are like me, Obi-Wan wanted to say, now knowing full-well Neah could sense the Force too.  And while he knew he might eventually be able to explain it to her, he still had a limited range of vocabulary.  But would she understand his Basic?  Or would she fear him?  No, Neah didn’t seem to fear much, but he knew little about the faith of these people, only knowing they revered nature.  The Force often came into conflict with religion, Obi-Wan able to name several examples from home.

            “Um…when do we head to the coastal tribe?  Tomorrow?” he asked, changing the subject.

            She looked back up at him and gave him a sly smile, knowing he shifted the conversation on purpose.  Still, she joined him at his side again, and they walked onward. 

            “After another couple of days.  You are the hero, you will be wanted at the celebration,” she said.

            “Celebration?”

            “The killing of a mammoth is a big event around here.  The tribe will celebrate, feast, dance, sing,” she explained, grinning at him.  “And you will be the center of attention.”

            Obi-Wan felt uncomfortable with this.  “Maybe we should leave in the morning, and…”

            “Absolutely not!” Neah laughed.  “This valley makes some of the best sweets.  I’m not missing out.”

            Obi-Wan sighed heavily.  As a Jedi, he’d been taught to get the job done and move on, not play hero.  But he did enjoy the sweet cakes he’d already eaten…

            By the evening the following day, after the entirety of the mammoth had been brought back to the community, the village burned with light, music, and happiness.  Drums, flutes and strange string instruments Obi-Wan had never seen provided lively music, and everyone danced and laughed.  Men, women, children, families all together, couples locked in heated embraces, Obi-Wan noticing a few sneak away from the group coming back some time later disheveled and happy.  But no sneaking away for Obi-Wan; everyone wanted to dance with the slayer of the mammoth, the man from the Beyond.

            Obi-Wan tasted some of the mammoth, a rich, satisfying meat, and sampled the desserts as well as a rather potent fermented drink.  He perhaps drank a bit more than he normally would have at a cantina on Coruscant because he soon found himself loosening up a bit more than usual, dancing longer without feeling ridiculous, laughing at jokes he knew he only partly understood.  And when he found his dance partner Neah, he uncharacteristically seized her and carried her away from the group into the darkness behind a nearby house.

            But before he could get his hands on her, Neah herself pushed his back against the wood of the building, ran her fingers aggressively through his hair, pressed her body against his, and kissed him hard.  Obi-Wan wasted no time at all, his hands in her hair, then running up and down her body, moaning softly into the kiss, letting the pleasure seep through him. 

            “Obi-Wan,” Neah said softly as his lips traveled down her neck.  The sound of his name spoken in such a seductive way made him quiver, and he pulled away, a new resolution in his heart.

            “Neah…let’s sneak away to the guest house and…” he could not finish the sentence, as she’d taken over his lips again.

            “Yes,” she finally breathed, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the darkened paths.

            But then a cheer rang out from the gathering space, and the crowd called his name.  Neah stopped, looking back at him.  She sighed sadly.

            “No…we need to return.  You are the guest of honor.  And I think they have the gift ready,” she said.

            Obi-Wan must have gave Neah a desperate look, because she placed her hand on his cheek, smiling warmly.

            “I want you as well, Obi-Wan,” she whispered, and hearing this statement from her set his whole body on fire.

            He did not care about a gift.  Neah was his gift.  And he wanted her…now.  He continued to move toward the guest house.

            “Obi-Wan!” called a man, and the couple turned to see one of the village elders approaching.  “I am sorry as I see you and the lovely storyteller are headed toward an evening of pleasure,” he began, and his phrasing made Obi-Wan burn with embarrassment.  Neah blushed deeply as well.  “But we have the gift for you.  Please return.”

            Obi-Wan and Neah came back to the celebration, the entire tribe waiting.  The hunting party leader stepped forward, handing the Jedi a beaded necklace, Obi-Wan instantly recognizing the tip of his hunting spear as one of the decorations.  They’d removed it from the heart of the mammoth to give to him as a token.  Deeply touched, Obi-Wan allowed himself to be ushered to the center of the group, the elders surrounding him.

            “Your story will go down in our tribe’s history,” said one.

            “And we hope you will honor us by becoming a member of our group when you and Neah return from the coast,” said another.

            “Deciding where to belong is important.  So we would like to share with you the history of our people,” said an old man, who looked quite ancient compared to the others.  “Neah sings of the accomplishments of folks, but one must also know the ordinary life of a people.”

            Into the night, Obi-Wan listened as the elders spoke of the tribe, how they came to the valley, their reverence for nature, their travels and the other peoples they encountered.  Soon, younger people moved in, replacing the elders, and finally Obi-Wan found himself sitting with a group of men about his age, indulging more in the fermented beverage and listening to the jokes, stories, and exaggerated bragging.

            Deep into the night they talked and laughed, Obi-Wan beginning to feel a kinship with them as he’d felt with his fellow Jedi in the Temple, before everyone got spread across the galaxy due to the war.

            Finally the group split up to their separate homes, Obi-Wan realizing Neah slipped away some time ago.  Returning to the guest home, the fire burned, and he saw Neah sound asleep in her bed.  Readying himself for the night, slightly intoxicated and pleasantly sleepy, he began to get under his furs.

            “Obi-Wan,” came Neah’s soft voice.  “Join me.”

            Suddenly feeling wide awake, remembering their arousing encounter from earlier, Obi-Wan came to her side of the house, feeling nervous as he moved in beside her.  Yes, he’d slept next to her before, but nothing stopped them now from continuing their intimacy.

            Except a sleepy woman.  Neah threw her arm around him and promptly went back to sleep.  Obi-Wan almost laughed aloud at himself.  Slow down, Kenobi, he thought, slipping into delightful dreams of dancing with Neah.

The next morning, waking up late beside Neah’s warmth, completely comfortable, well-rested, a sudden realization dawned on him: he’d resigned himself to staying on this world.  He hadn’t considered his separation from Anakin for the past few days; he even made plans with Neah.  And if he were being truly honest with himself, he wished for his former apprentice to never find him, return home on his own, reporting Obi-Wan lost in space.

            Should he be concerned about this new feeling?  Or had the Jedi, the Sith, the wars, the Separatists versus the Republic, had it all simply drained him to the point that, given the opportunity as he now was, he could vanish and live happily ever after?

            Neah’s sigh, and her arm sliding across his chest in her sleep, made him again slip into the pleasant moment, and he dozed the rest of the morning away.

            Repairing the Sith yacht Tenebris was not going as easily as Anakin wanted.  He knew he would eventually make the ship fly, pieced together with mechanisms a thousand years apart, but everything seemed to take longer than he expected.  And he became increasingly aware that each minute that passed for him could be a day for Padme.  Or longer.

            That evening, Zolti and Anakin sat eating dinner, a delicious fish that Zolti caught in a nearby river that emptied into the sea. 

            “Three days, I think,” said Anakin.

            “Three days?”

            “Until we get the ship up and running.  Then we can fly over the area, searching for Obi-Wan,” said Anakin, taking a moment to glare at the sneering statue, the companion of which sat in Palpatine’s office back on Coruscant.

            “No,” said Zolti firmly.

            Anakin’s eyes snapped back to the pilot.  “What?”

            “I said no,” Zolti repeated, his eyes narrowing.  “We can’t just fly over the land in a space craft from another galaxy.  The people that live here…they would be terrified.”

            Anakin rolled his eyes.  “Who cares?  Then they need to start advancing.”

            Zolti slammed down his utensil with a bang, which made Anakin jump.  He rarely saw the pilot angry, the man always seeming casual, taking things in stride.

            “What kind of Jedi are you?” he asked harshly.  “Don’t you care about the people here?”

            “Yes, but…”

            “Even my master, a Sith Lord, would be more courteous.  Kriff, he’d be out getting to know the locals.  He was that kind of guy,” Zolti said.

            Anakin shook his head.  “I don’t think you understand the magnitude of the situation back home and …”

            “No, I think I understand that you are selfish and short-sighted,” Zolti snapped back.  “I have gotten to know the people here.  They cared for me, helped me when I first ventured away from Tenebris.  You spend one night with them, get an elk’s rack from them, and suddenly you know it all.”

            Anakin could feel his blood boiling.  Insufferable man, he thought.

            “Well, I’m taking the ship out whether you like it or not,” Anakin said.  “This is a matter of great importance.”

            “It’s my ship,” Zolti hissed back.  “And you would take it over my dead body.”  He rose, threw down his napkin, and folded his arms across his chest.

            I can take it, you know, Anakin thought, staring up at Zolti with disdain.  I can kill you.  I’ve killed an entire tribe of Sand People within minutes.  I could choke you right here, throw your body into the sea.

            A weakness filled Anakin suddenly when he realized his line of thinking.  Would he kill Zolti, who’d done nothing but help him, shown him kindness, even fed him?  Anakin suddenly felt sick.  Rising quickly, he dashed to the ‘fresher in his room, making sure to lock the door behind him.  Retching, his eyes filled with tears, and he finally slid to the floor, sobbing.  Relaxing after he couldn’t cry anymore, he simply leaned against the refresher wall, eyes swollen, wishing he had Padme or Obi-Wan there to comfort him.

            “Anakin?” came Zolti’s voice from the other side of the door.  “You okay?”

            “Yes,” Anakin lied.  “I’m sorry…you are right.  About flying over the people.”

            “When we’re done with the ship, we’ll go to the coastal tribe, check for leads.  They see a lot of travelers.” said Zolti.

            “Okay.”

            Anakin did not emerge from his room until much later, finding Zolti reading in the study.  Zolti looked up at him, concerned, as Anakin took a seat across from him.

            “You scare me, Jedi,” Zolti said, putting down his data pad. 

            “I feel the pull of the Dark Side,” Anakin admitted quietly.  “I scare myself.”

            Zolti nodded, then laughed.  “Well, the Dark Side isn’t so bad.” He jumped up to the cabinet housing Lord Kaan’s holocron collection, pulled a key from his pocket, and unlocked the door.

            Anakin leaped up, panicked.  “No…I can’t.  I…”

            “Cool it,” said Zolti.  “We need a laugh.”  He grabbed one of the cubes and relocked the cabinet.  “This is the holocron of the Sith comedian.  Things are getting too serious around here.  Open this so we can have a good laugh.”

            Anakin took the cube, which immediately lit, a small holoimage projected onto the nearby table, a rather short, stout man with bright eyes looking at them.  Anakin sat next to Zolti.

            “So, a Gungan, a Hutt, and a Wookie walk into a cantina…” the man’s face scrunched up.  “No, wait…not a Hutt, because they would slither.  Was it an Ithorian…no, but that would not fit the punchline…”

            Anakin laughed hard and looked over at an amused Zolti.  “He’s terrible.”

            “Oh yes.  So bad.  That’s the funny part,” Zolti said.

            The two men continued to watch the struggling Sith comedian, Anakin feeling a bit better, but also a twinge of lingering concern.  The Dark Side called to him, and he needed Padme, he needed Obi-Wan, to keep the darkness away.

 

 


	15. Along the Coast

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Along the Coast**

            Neah and Obi-Wan left the river valley tribe two days prior, on their week-long trek to the coastal community in which Neah would perform as storyteller.  The weather held out nicely for them, the ground still hard with cold, but the skies blue and clear, the ever-present chill coupled with bright sun.

            Obi-Wan breathed deeply as they walked the rudimentary trail hugging the river.  The air felt cleansing, and he felt happy and content.  In front of him, Neah walked along, humming a tune and adjusting her pack from time to time, and Obi-Wan allowed himself a moment to enjoy how her body moved.  Her hair swayed from side to side, and he remembered how it felt when he ran his fingers through it.  His eyes moved further down to her hips, and a small smile graced his lips, imagining his hands on her.

            They hadn’t moved too much further in intimacy since the night of the hunt celebration, a shyness seeming to come over them both when they came to a solo moment.  But this didn’t stop Obi-Wan’s mind from wondering, and he knew he’d get up the courage soon.  He was a Jedi after all, known for bravery and performance and…well, not romance.  Should he make a move?  And what move would that be?  He wished suddenly for Anakin, to speak candidly with him, without embarrassment or the shadow of Jedi duty hanging over him.  Just a friend talking to another friend about how to woe a woman.

            Obi-Wan almost crashed into Neah.

            “Huh,” he said, looking up, realizing he’d been fixated on her rear for quite some time, daydreaming.

            She laughed.  “How about lunch?”

            He grinned sheepishly.  “Yes.  Sure.  Of course.”

            They sat together along the river, watching the water flow to the west, to the sea.  He could already smell the salt in the air as they ate the dried meat and fruit.  A loud singing sound, something between a screech and a pleasant melody, came from overhead, and Obi-Wan looked up to see a large bird circling.

            “What is that called?” he asked, then gasped as the bird took a sudden dive and scooped a large fish from the river.  “Wow.”

            “An eagle,” Neah said.  “I wish fishing were that easy for me.”

            Obi-Wan considered.  “I think that should be your animal.”

            Neah looked over, rewarding Obi-Wan with a broad smile, her face lighting up.  “Me?  An eagle?”

            “I saw these when I first came to this planet…um…land,” Obi-Wan explained.  “They observe…like you.  And sing…like you.  And they are beautiful…like you.”

            Obi-Wan almost groaned, knowing he probably sounded incredibly cheesy, but Neah stood up, laughing, stretching her arms out like wings and imitating the song of the eagle.  She turned and looked down at him.

            “Oh…I so love being an eagle.  Thank you.  The eagle and the bear, huh?”

            Obi-Wan nodded as she sat back down next to him, their shoulders now together.  He felt very aware of her closeness.

            “I…ah…still haven’t seen a bear,” he said.

            “Some black bears live near the coast.  The people see them often.  I will ask for them to show us.  You should see your animal,” she smiled again, returning to her food.  “An eagle.”

            “I love you, Neah,” he said suddenly, in Basic.

            She looked at him, puzzled.  “What does that mean?”

            “Um…love…love,” he repeated, the second time using the word from her language which seemed to mean greatly liking something, although he suspected the meanings to be a little different.  “Love,” he began, saying the word in Basic again and continuing in her tongue.  “Means…I care for you greatly and…and…find you irresistible…and…” Goodness, was he really saying these things?  And why did he need to explain this…he could feel his face reddening.  She understood some of his Basic before, why not at this moment?

            But after he paused, she seemed to understand, her face becoming serious.  “Oh…I…love…does this mean that you want to be with the person all the time?”

            “Yes,” he said, his face leaning towards her.

            “And they make you happier than you ever thought you could be?  Like you are warm and glowing inside, like the sun?”

            “Yes,” he said, leaning further until their faces were inches apart.

            “And the person…you cannot imagine what comes next if they are not there?”

            “Yes,” he said, his lips just brushing against hers.

            “Then…I love you,” she said, this time in Basic. 

            The kiss, soft at first but moving into passionate, engulfed Obi-Wan.  Love…yes, he loved Neah, didn’t have to think about that too deeply.  She’d had him since he awoke from his injury, since the first time he heard her, saw her.  And this felt different from the other women he’d flirted with over the years.  This felt deeper, and he no longer felt the need to push this aside for the Jedi.  Here, on this world, he could be the version of himself who was happier, who loved another freely, and received love in return.

            They broke apart, smiling at one another.  A splashing and honking sound from the river drew their attention.  Obi-Wan saw a slick-looking, large grey animal swimming about several yards into the current.  The honking noise sounded raspy, and he frowned.

            “That’s not a bear, is it?” he asked.

            “That is a seal.  And that means we are getting closer,” she said, returning to her food.

            Obi-Wan nodded, taking a bite of a fruit called an apple, wondering what came next now that they had professed their love for one another.

            Both Anakin and Zolti could not keep the ridiculously silly grins off their faces, and Anakin finally gave into the sheer joy by letting out a loud whoop, Zolti joining in the cheering.  The Tenebris flew fast over the ocean, and Zolti, as soon as they were far out to sea, land out of sight, punched her up toward the stratosphere.

            “Kriff, it feels good to fly again,” he shouted in glee.  “Woo hoo!!!”

            Anakin again cheered as they entered outer space, all the life support systems kicking in.  Yes, the Tenebris worked!  Anakin mentally added this to his list of accomplishments – fixing a ship with parts a thousand years apart.

            The ship orbited the planet a couple of times, moving out past the single moon.  Zolti then let the ship drift, staring at the blue world.

            “I…I never thought I would leave that world…but…well,” Zolti stopped talking, choked up, and Anakin looked over to see his cheeks wet.  Zolti turned to him, giving the Jedi a teary smile.  “Thank you.”

            “No, thank you.  I was lucky to find you,” he said, then laughed.  “Lucky you had the misfortune to end up here as well.”

            Zolti sniffed in acknowledgement, and both men glanced out the view port toward the outer part of the system. 

            “You sure your master is alive?” Zolti asked.  “We can head toward the gas giant now, look for the anomaly.”

            Anakin studied the blue dot again, thinking about Obi-Wan down there.  Despite Zolti’s suggestions the Jedi Master could be dead from his fall after the wolf attack, Anakin felt certain the man was alive.  He imagined Obi-Wan wondering the woods alone, solitarily meditating and doing the typical Obi-Wan things, like strategizing a next step, planning a lecture he’d give Anakin, communing with the Force.  These thoughts comforted Anakin, the steadfast Obi-Wan, the one he could always count on for everything.  No, he’d taken Obi-Wan for granted in the past, but he wouldn’t anymore, now that he’d experienced such temptations from the Dark Side.  Obi-Wan and Padme kept him in the Light, and with Padme so far away, and possibly now in his past, he needed Obi-Wan more than ever.

            “Yes…please Zolti,” Anakin said.  “We need to go back for him.”

            Zolti nodded, and the ship began to slowly move back toward the planet. 

            “Honestly, I’m little terrified to go home,” Zolti said quietly.  “I…I suppose I don’t even have a home.  I wonder if they reported me missing.  And Lord Kaan…what did he think?  My sister?” He sighed.  “I did plan on living out my days here.  This world is quite beautiful, has everything a person could want.  But to go home…have real caf again.”

            “You’ll have a home with me,” Anakin assured him.  “With the Jedi.”

            Zolti laughed.  “A former Sith pilot flying for the Jedi?” He raised his eyebrow and shot Anakin a comically suspicious look.  “You just want those holocrons for the Jedi archives.”

            Anakin hadn’t considered this, having tried to push those holocrons from his mind.  But yes, the Jedi would probably gain a lot from the collection of artifacts on this ship.

            “Perhaps,” admitted Anakin.  “But the Jedi way is to help people…and I am greatly indebted to you.”

            The planet grew larger as they approached.

            “What if we never find your friend?” Zolti asked.  “Do we have a time limit?  Remember, years could be passing with each day.”

            “Two weeks,” Anakin said with finality.  He’d considered this before.  “But I need Obi-Wan.  We need all the best Jedi to go up against Palpatine.  And he’s the best.”

            Zolti nodded as the Tenebris hit the atmosphere, the luxury ship only tilting slightly with the impact.

            Later that evening, after the sun set, Neah and Obi-Wan made camp.  The couple found a small cave just up the hill from the river, overlooking the valley.  As Neah built a fire in the entrance and began cooking the fish they’d caught, Obi-Wan arranged the furs and made the space comfortable for the night.  He worked slowly, eyeing her from time to time.  At some point in the afternoon, Neah grew very quiet, and Obi-Wan wondered about this. 

            She remained silent throughout dinner, Obi-Wan commenting on the tasty herbs she’d picked to flavor the fish, trying to solicit a response other than a thank you.  Finally, as she finished her meal, she put the bones aside, sighed deeply, squared her shoulders, and looked up at him.  Obi-Wan felt his stomach drop; she was about to say something important, he knew this face, her body language. 

            “Obi-Wan…I want to ask you something.” Her voice was quiet, crisp, and clear.

            “Oh…okay,” he stammered, not sure what she was going to say.

            “I…might sound a little forthcoming…but…well, and I know you want to find your brother and maybe return home,” she continued, losing her confidence a bit.

            “My brother yes…home, not so much,” Obi-Wan chuckled, trying to lighten the sudden tension between them.

            “Well, I was wondering…um…would you stay with me…for…forever?” she asked, her voice suddenly trembling.  “Would you be my mate?”

            Obi-Wan felt his jaw drop and his eyes widen.  His heart knocked in his chest as he watched her stare intently at him, biting her lip.

            “Yes,” he said without hesitation.

            “You…you will?” she asked, and he could see her whole body shaking now.  He could feel his own body tingling, his nerves coming to life, everything sensitive with anticipation.

            “Yes,” he cried, leaping up, Neah joining him.  “Yes!” He grabbed her, and they kissed deeply before he pulled back.  “Do we need to plan some sort of ceremony or celebration or vows?” He thought of the dozens of such marriage traditions he knew from his home galaxy.

            “Ceremony?” she looked at him puzzled, then laughed.  “No…we just sort of tell people we are mated.”

            Obi-Wan laughed hard, picked her up, and swung her around.  How delightfully simple, just tell folks you are mated.

            He put her down.  “What now?”

            Neah’s dark eyes glowed mischievously.  “I think you know…unless you want to wait until…”

            “Absolutely not,” he said, crushing her to him, soon finding himself lying next to her on the furs in a tangle of limbs and discarded clothing.

            Mid-morning the next day, Obi-Wan lie on his back staring at the roof of the small cave, knowing he had the dumbest, goofiest grin on his face and not caring at all.  Next to him, catching her breath, lay Neah, and Obi-Wan took a long moment to once again admire her naked body, half draped over his.

            “I think…” he said, trying to reclaim some semblance of control which he’d lost completely some time ago.  “I think we are getting better.”

            Neah giggled and sat up.  Obi-Wan placed his hand on her bare back, under her tousled hair, admiring her bronze skin, loving and now knowing those curves well.

            Their first time the previous evening had been a learning experience, and they met it with good humor and pleasure that seemed to overwhelm both of them.  Dozing afterward, they both awoke hours later to rekindle the dying fire but neglected to get dressed.  Neah then gave him an anatomy vocabulary lesson, which inevitably led to further intimacy.  After this second time, Obi-Wan, lying awake after Neah went to sleep, wondered how he would ever be able to do anything else.  He simply wanted to be with Neah, naked under these furs, for the rest of his life.

            And that is what happened the next morning, neither wanting to get up, talking and touching and laughing the day away.  Perfect, Obi-Wan thought, feeling completely at peace, his past life as a general, a warrior, but a mere shadow.

            Neah sighed heavily and turned to him.  “Well, we will at least need to leave tomorrow.  The coastal tribe is expecting me.  Runners and hunters will probably have passed on the word I left the valley.”

            “But I like it here, in this cave,” Obi-Wan said in an exaggerated whine.

            Neah joined him again, pulling the furs over them as a cold air passed through their cave. 

            “We will be together there.  Everywhere.  You are my mate,” she said, kissed his nose.

            “And you are mine, darling Neah,” he said, kissing her eyelids, then her nose, before nuzzling into her hair.

            “I should work on my songs,” she said, but Obi-Wan had now moved down her body, under the furs, sucking on her neck, his hands moving all over her.  He felt aroused again, and he could feel the Force glittered around him and Neah, encouraging him to engage with her again, make love to her over and over.  He moved down further with his mouth, hearing Neah sigh.  “All right, bear,” she said, grabbing the furs and covering them completely.

            Days later, Zolti and Anakin walked along the beach, the roar of the waves causing them both to talk rather loudly.

            Zolti pointed ahead to a line of smoke drifting toward the sky from the forest slightly inland. 

            “There they are,” he said.  “Should be there in about an hour.  These really are great people.”

            But not ten minutes passed before a group of children came running down the beach.

            “Zolti!  Zolti!” they cried, running up to greet the man, a few even hugging him.

            Then the kids noticed Anakin and everything stopped.  Anakin felt a bit uncomfortable after several seconds of this, but the oldest boy, looking to be about ten, began talking rapidly to Zolti.

            Zolti turned around, a look of excitement lighting up his face.

            “He says you look similar to the man who arrived yesterday, traveling with the storyteller,” Zolti said.  “You both have pale skin.”

            Anakin’s heart began to race.  “What else?”

            Zolti and the boy talked more, and finally Zolti turned to Anakin.  “He is the companion to the storyteller Neah…”

            “What is a storyteller?”

            “An entertainer.  A historian.  Travels around from group to group, sharing histories, stories, skills,” Zolti explained.  “Having a storyteller visit is always a highlight for the people in a community.”  Zolti paused.  “I asked him what the man looks like.  The boy says hair like the sun, blue eyes.  This matches the man I saw in the woods, fighting the wolves…”

            But Anakin dashed down the beach toward the smoke, the kids running around him.  Obi-Wan…it had to be Obi-Wan.

            The children turned inland a bit toward the forest, and Anakin followed, but slowed when Zolti caught up to him.

            “We cannot just follow the children.  We need to check in with the elders of the tribe.  We need…”

            “I don’t care about their stupid rules.  Obi-Wan is here and…”

            Zolti rolled his eyes.  “Then you will be considered a hostile and…”

            “Fine,” Anakin shouted, impatient to see his former master again. 

            The children led them into the village, a small community that smelled of the sea and smoked fish.  The homes, made of wood, seemed sturdy, perfect for the coastal weather and cooler climate.  Anakin got a sudden feeling of comfort and home in this space, and if he weren’t so bent of getting Obi-Wan back, he might feel almost relaxed.

            The older members of the tribe gathered together in the middle of the village, greeting Zolti like an old friend.  Anakin could sense them exchanging pleasantries by the tones of their voices and gestures, and he began to rock back and forth on his heels, trying not to glare daggers at the back of Zolti’s head.  When he turned around, he saw most of the community gathered, regarding him, so he gave them a smile and tried to calm himself.

            Finally, Zolti turned to Anakin.  “The man who looked like you arrived yesterday, as the kids said.” Then a sly smile spread across his face.  “But…well, I must say, you Jedi are far more interesting than I previously thought.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Well, the leader here says the man is the mate of the storyteller, Neah.”

            Anakin’s brow furrowed in dismay.  “What?  Mate…like, um…”

            “Let’s go with husband,” Zolti laughed. 

            Anakin could feel his jaw drop.  “This can’t be Obi-Wan then…”

            “Obi-Wan!” repeated one of the older women, nodding and smiling.  Then she spoke in their native tongue.

            Zolti turned to Anakin, his smile even wider.  “Seems that Neah and Obi-Wan are recently mated.  And the tribe adores them because they make such a beautiful couple, and you can see how much they care for one another.”

            Anakin just stared at Zolti, his mouth hanging open, knowing he looked like an idiot, but he could not piece all the ideas presented together.  Obi-Wan, the mate of some woman?  Had Obi-Wan hit his head in the fall, forgetting his identity?  The Jedi Master did have a tendency to get knocked out at inopportune times. Yes…that had to be the answer.

            “Where is he?” Anakin demanded, looking at the elders.

            The same woman spoke, and Zolti began to laugh hard.  The others chimed in with good-natured chuckling.

            “What?” Anakin said, trying to keep from shouting.

            “He and the storyteller have gone for a walk in the woods,” Zolti explained.  “Near the meadow, to be alone.  Like all newly mated couples, they need their alone time, cannot keep their hands off one another.”

            “Where?” Anakin now shouted.

            Zolti nodded to the path leading outside the village, and Anakin ran, reaching out through the Force for Obi-Wan.  Yes!  He could sense him up ahead.  Finally, the two Jedi would be reunited.        

 

 


	16. Revelations

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Revelations**

            Anakin moved through the forest swiftly, following Obi-Wan’s Force signature.  His mind swam with everything he needed to tell Obi-Wan.  Hopefully, they would get back to the Tenebris by the next day, take off to search for the anomaly soon after.  Then he and Obi-Wan would take on the Chancellor together.

            Something made Anakin stop abruptly.  Holding his breath and listening, the sounds of the forest filled the air, birds chirping, trees rustling in the breeze, the babbling of a small creek nearby.  And singing…yes, that’s why he stopped.  The sound of a woman singing.  Beautiful, ethereal, he understood nothing of what she said, but the sound captivated him.

            Then a man joined in, but only on occasion, his deep voice complementing hers nicely.  And with a shocking realization, Anakin knew the singing man was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

            Anakin heard Obi-Wan sing perhaps a handful of times in the many years he knew the man.  His main vocal talents usually consisted of whistling while working and the occasional humming.  But this singing…not usual for Obi-Wan but definitely his former master.

            He’s with his mate, Anakin realized, remembering what the villagers said, but that thought seemed quite preposterous, until now.  Anakin moved forward again, this time with some stealth, following the sound of music, hoping not to catch Obi-Wan in a compromising position.

            Still amongst the trees, the forest dipped a bit and ended, a meadow beyond with wildflowers and green grass, running into dunes in the distance.  At the bottom of the small hill, Anakin finally spotted the couple, and he froze, the view shocking him.  Sitting on some furs spread out on the grass, a beautiful black-haired, bronze-skinned woman leaned her back against a tree, singing confidently and eloquently.  Perpendicular to her, lying on the furs as well with his head in her lap, Obi-Wan joined in the song, his eyes closed, appearing serene. His hands clasped one of the woman’s to his chest while her other hand ran through his hair.

            His hair a bit longer, his beard a bit scruffier, Obi-Wan looked happier and far more peaceful than Anakin had ever seen, and the younger man found himself just staring at the couple, who seemed oblivious to his arrival.  Anakin experienced several emotions within the span of mere seconds.  First came confusion, as this man, his master, taught him the Code which he now seemed to break without a care in the world.  Next, jealousy, and for reasons which surprised Obi-Wan.  Here lie Obi-Wan playing house with some woman while Anakin worried about returning home, fighting a Sith head of state.  She’d distracted Obi-Wan from far more important matters.  Anakin shook his head, feeling ridiculous.  Obi-Wan didn’t know about these revelations…

            Then came longing.  Seeing such a loving picture in front of him made him miss Padme even more. 

            Finally, as Anakin reached out and brushed against Obi-Wan through the Force, the man not even seeming to notice, so captivated by his woman, he felt happy.  Truly happy.  He’d never seen Obi-Wan so happy before, and that alone made him feel joy.  Always strict, always proper, always lecturing, teaching some lesson, now merely lounging in the woods with beautiful woman…and perhaps more than lounging if one could guess their previous activities from the state of their hair and rumpled clothing.  An involuntary grin spread across Anakin’s face.

            “Anakin?”

            Blinking himself out of his thoughts, Anakin realized Obi-Wan was rising to his feet, staring shocked at him.  The woman rose as well.

            “Anakin?” she echoed, her light, clear voice pronouncing his name like a melody.

            Obi-Wan walked toward him, disbelief on his brow.  Finally, the two Jedi stood three feet apart, the woman lingering further back.

            Regarding Obi-Wan closely now, Anakin realized his former master looked younger, healthier, his blue eyes bright and beaming with his usual wit…and something else.  He looked excellent for a man who’d been attacked by wolves and fallen from a high cliff. 

Each man took a step toward one another and embraced, holding each other tight.  Still in his Jedi robes himself, Anakin found Obi-Wan wore only hides and furs, and he smelled of the forest.

“Where have you been?” Obi-Wan asked, his voice muffled in Anakin’s shoulder.

Anakin looked beyond Obi-Wan to see the woman approaching slowly, smiling broadly at both men.  The Jedi separated.

“You did not meet me at our decided place and time, master” Anakin said, now letting amusement slip into his voice.  Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer, but Anakin continued.  “Perhaps you got a bit…distracted.”

Obi-Wan bit his lip and turned crimson, rewarding Anakin, who could not keep the broad, smug grin from spreading across his face.  Yes, Master Kenobi, try to talk yourself out of this one. 

“Well…um…ah…you see, I fell and got hurt and Neah found me and we…um,” stammered Obi-Wan, looking intently at the ground.

Anakin raised his eyebrows, enjoying Obi-Wan’s discomfort.

“I can guess what you all did,” Anakin teased, nodding to Obi-Wan’s mussed up hair.

Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed.  “Now Anakin, no need to be…”

“Anakin,” the woman…Neah…said, now standing beside Obi-Wan, her face lit up.  “Brother,” she continued, this time in Basic.

Stepping forward, she embraced Anakin, surprising the younger man.  She called him brother.  Had Obi-Wan claimed him to be his brother?  Anakin felt overwhelmed for a moment, the teasing of Obi-Wan put on hold, although something to definitely approach later.  Yes…definitely.

“Anakin, this is Neah…my…mate,” Obi-Wan said, finishing the sentence looking directly into Anakin’s eyes, as if challenging him to say something snide again.

Taking both Neah’s hands into his, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.  “Sister,” he said.  “Neah.”

She laughed, her eyes shining up at him, but then shifting to look behind him.  Anakin turned to see Zolti emerge from the woods. 

Obi-Wan looked shocked. “You…the wolves…you killed one…you speak Basic.”

“Zolti!” proclaimed Neah, then stepped forward, placing both her palms on Zolti’s face, speaking rapidly in her tongue.  Zolti responded, and the two went back and forth for some time in apparent friendly conversation.

“What’s going on?” Anakin asked.

“She says she’s heard of me, the man with midnight skin and snow hair,” Zolti said, approaching Obi-Wan with an outstretched hand.  “Hmmm…I rather like that, poetic.  I’m Zolti.  Nice to officially meet you, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan looked baffled, but put on his best formal, official look, as Anakin had seen hundreds of times over the years, and shook Zolti’s hand.

“Zolti encountered the anomaly as well, been stranded on this world for over two years,” Anakin explained.  “Listen, Obi-Wan…”

“Ah…Anakin,” Zolti said, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him aside, whispering in his ear.  “Remember how you found out about the time change and the ship and your friend being a Sith…”

“He is no longer my friend…”

“Whatever.  Remember how you found that out over several days?  Weeks?  Well, imagine how your master here might feel learning it all over the space of several seconds.  And it looks like he’s made plans for the future…plans for this world.”

Anakin snapped his gaze back to Obi-Wan, who spoke with Neah in the language of this planet, their faces close together.  He watched as Neah leaned in to kiss Obi-Wan, the Jedi yielding, his whole being softening into her.  Anakin felt suddenly apprehensive about telling Obi-Wan everything, a little protective even.  He’d done a lot of reflecting on his relationship with Obi-Wan, and here, once again, comes Anakin to upset Obi-Wan’s plans.  Guilt fell upon him.

“I will walk with Neah back to the village, give you two some time,” Zolti said.

Soon, Neah and Zolti disappeared, and the two men sat down together on a nearby log.

“So…Neah, huh?” Anakin began, deciding to go back to the teasing.  That was easier, he realized.

Obi-Wan studied the ground.  “Yes…things just sort of happened,” Obi-Wan said, then continued, quieter.  “I fell in love with this place…and with Neah.”  He laughed suddenly, and while Obi-Wan normally had a pleasant, deep laugh, a new lightness made it even more delightful.  “Anakin, you do not know how many times I wished you were here, to talk to about these…feelings.  I’ve never experienced this before, never fallen in love, well, at least like this.  I didn’t think like a Jedi…and I liked it.  I have so much to talk with you about.  Questions.  I think…I think I understand some things better now…and I’m sorry for, well, perhaps judging you and…”

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, his mouth hanging open.  He’d longed to reach this point with his master, a time when they were no longer master and padawan but true friends.  And here Obi-Wan actually spoke with him candidly, about very un-Jedi things.  Anakin momentarily forgot his own news and listened as Obi-Wan launched into his story, of adventure in the wilderness and romance and meeting people and fishing and hunting.  At some point toward the end, when Obi-Wan recalled Neah asking to be his mate, a horn sounded in the distance, signaling the evening meal, and the two men began walking back to the village.

“And I know it’s not the Jedi way, to take a mate but…”

“You fell in love,” Anakin finished.  “I get it.  The Jedi Code is wrong about some things.”

Obi-Wan just nodded.  The village came into view in the distance.

“Where have you been?”

Anakin hesitated, his own story crashing down upon him, a different journey of discovery than Obi-Wan’s.

“I…I found Zolti and have been with him since, around the time we were supposed to meet.”

“Another castaway,” Obi-Wan sighed, then grew excited, speaking rapidly.  “We can live here, Anakin.  Make a life here.  Neah and I planned on returning to the valley.  You come too…my brother.  Work, live.  I plan on becoming a fisherman.  Building a home.” He sighed, looking at Anakin warmly.  “I don’t think you realize how this feels for me.  I’ve been a Jedi since birth.  Living as a man free from the Code…it’s a breath of fresh air I didn’t realize I needed to take.”

Anakin could not speak now, thinking about Obi-Wan’s life, his dedication to the Order, and all they asked of him, including Qui-Gon’s dying wish to train himself, not an easy task.  Yes, this journey made him a new man…still the same, yet with a new aura from the Force refreshing his soul.

“Where have you and Zolti been?”

“Inland…then the coast.  His ship is down the ways a bit.  Like ours, it was damaged in the anomaly.  But…” he paused.  Tell him…but then he’ll turn back into Master Kenobi.

But the galaxy needs Master Kenobi.

Anakin opened his mouth, closed it, coughed, and fiddled with his hair.  At the edge of the village, Obi-Wan stopped, looking at Anakin in a baffled expression.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Anakin.  Obi-Wan,” came Neah’s voice, and she emerged, joining the men and pulling them into the community.

The next few hours became a whirlwind of activity.  The tribe all gathered together to dine with the visitors, and Anakin relied heavily on Zolti for translation, marveling at Obi-Wan’s ease of communication.  Night fell swiftly, the sound of the ocean filling the dark.  Soon, people gravitated toward their homes, Obi-Wan bidding Anakin good night with a tight embrace before being pulled by a giggling Neah to the guest home next to Anakin and Zolti’s, Obi-Wan looking eager and hungry for her, giving Anakin a sheepish glance before disappearing into the home.

Once inside his own home, Anakin began to pace as Zolti laid out his bedding.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Zolti asked, lying down on his back, hands behind his head, studying the Jedi.

“Because he seemed so damn happy.  And that is not a usual thing for Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Anakin said, exasperated.

“Then let’s sneak away.  Now.  Leave him here.”

“I thought of that,” Anakin admitted.  “But the galaxy needs him.  To fight the Sith.”

Zolti shrugged.  “Years may have passed.  Your Sith Lord is probably dead, if he is human.  And aren’t you the Chosen One, to bring balance to the Force?  Who is this Obi-Wan?  He seems happy here.  I told you, this is a pleasant place.”

“But _I_ need him!” Anakin finally admitting in what came out as an unintentionally dramatic lamentation.

Zolti rolled his eyes.  “Let’s just go.  Now.  And…”

“But I need him!  If Padme is gone, Obi-Wan is the only one who can keep me from the Dark Side!”

“What?”

And suddenly, Anakin began talking, telling Zolti about the Sand People, the entire incident on Tatooine, his mother, the cries of the tribe as he killed them, every single one.  He’d never told anyone before, no one knew except Padme, and even she didn’t know the details that came pouring from Anakin now.  As he spoke, Zolti sat up slowly on his bed, regarding Anakin with an intense gaze.

Anakin stopped abruptly, putting his face in his hands, trying to recollect himself.  When he looked back up, the pilot stood, a few feet away, his eyes sparkling warmly at Anakin, the hint of a small smile gracing his lips.  Zolti, who Anakin would normally consider a handsome man, now looked slightly sinister.  The golden gleam in his dark eyes unsettled Anakin.

“Does Obi-Wan know about this?  The Sand People?  You…murdering them?”

The way Zolti spoke, in a low, steady voice, made Anakin shudder.  Murder.  Yes, he’d murdered.  The unarmed.  Children.  And he still felt no remorse.  Yes, they deserved to die.

“No.  Only Padme.”

“Your wife…a senator, right?  She knows?”

“Yes,” said Anakin, the memories of that night flooding his mind.  What if Obi-Wan found out? 

“Hmmm…you are an interesting man, Anakin,” Zolti said.  “You’ve definitely touched the Dark Side.”

“That’s why I need Obi-Wan!” Anakin cried moving toward the doorway but stopping as Zolti put his hand gently on his shoulder

“You are being selfish again, Anakin,” Zolti finally said, his voice the usual casual, the strange look gone as sudden as it came on.  “He’s happy here.  Let’s just leave him.  Ignorance is bliss, as they say.  And if he’d been working all his life, including training you, he’s due for some time off.  Put someone else’s needs first.”

Anakin looked at the ground, thinking.  He would have the other Jedi to help with Palpatine…if he did still live.  Master Yoda even, although he was already old when Anakin left.  Was he being selfish?  Obi-Wan gave him years…sacrificed everything for Anakin.  He knew the moment he told Obi-Wan, the little happiness bubble the Jedi Master existed in would pop, and they would be on their way. 

“I’ll pack,” Zolti said, beginning to grab their things.

“Okay,” said Anakin numbly.  Yes, this was right.  Just slip away.  He strained his senses slightly, hearing laughter and muffled voices from the next home.  Neah and Obi-Wan.  Leave Obi-Wan to his mate, his new home, his new happiness.

As Anakin leaned down to pick up his bag, his and Obi-Wan’s lightsabers tumbled out.  Picking up Obi-Wan’s, a shock ran through him and sudden clarity dawned, like a fog immediately lifted.  He dropped the hilt.

“I’m telling him,” Anakin said, and before Zolti could say anything else, he moved from the home, walking swiftly over to Obi-Wan’s, banging on the wall beside the doorway, a sturdy hide used as a door.

Obi-Wan emerged, shirtless with a fur flung over his shoulders for the cold, hair mussed, face flushed.

“Anakin?” he asked, obviously a little irritated at being interrupted.  “What is…”

Then Anakin began talking, like he’d just done with Zolti, a steady stream of words, only now telling Obi-Wan about Zolti being from the past, about the time difference and the fact years may have passed back home, about the discovery of Palpatine being the Sith Lord they’d been searching for, about having a way off this primitive world.

As he spoke, Obi-Wan’s face fell in dismay, but then slipped into utter shock.

“Palpatine…the Sith…are you…”

            “Yes!  I’m sure!  And we need to go, get back, defeat him and…”

            But Obi-Wan did not jump into action.  He stared at Anakin in complete bewilderment. 

            “I don’t understand…this…Palpatine…but a century, more, may have passed and…”

            “And you!  Obi-Wan, don’t you see?  Remember when we got here?  You pointed to this spot, this part of the world, told me to land here.  You sensed the Sith ship.  You knew!  And now we need to return and…”

            At Anakin’s last words, Obi-Wan’s face fell until he looked like he was about to cry.

            “But…I thought…” he began slowly.

            “What?”

            “I thought the Force guided me…”

            “Yes!  To the Sith!  To these revelations!” Anakin said.  “Let’s go!”

            “I thought the Force guided me to Neah.”

            Anakin paused, then laughed good-naturedly at Obi-Wan’s silly comment.  “Of course not!  That’s ridiculous.  The Sith ship, that’s…”

            But Anakin stopped, seeing Obi-Wan’s composure completely crumble.  The man looked at the ground, crestfallen.  Obi-Wan seemed defeated in a way Anakin had never seen before, and suddenly he wished for those moments that afternoon when Obi-Wan spoke to him about this new feeling of contentment, spoke to Anakin like a friend, a brother, and not the lifelong teacher.

            “Master…I’m sorry…I…”

            Obi-Wan raised his hand.  “Please…I need a moment.”

            “But a moment could be days…we need to go…I should have told you…”

            “I need some time,” Obi-Wan said sternly, and he disappeared into his little house, leaving Anakin to shiver in the cold night, listening to the crackling of the dying community fire and the roar of the sea.

 

 

**_Author’s Note: In the next chapter, the final in this story, Obi-Wan makes his decision._ **

**_Thank you for reading!  Comments welcome and encouraged.  Take care._ **


	17. Departure

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Departure**

            Anakin’s words, his story of the time change, of Palpatine being the Sith Lord, flowed through Obi-Wan’s mind like poison.  He’d been so happy, with Neah, on this world.  And this all wouldn’t be so bad, but Anakin actually had a working ship, a way to possibly return home and do something about this shocking knowledge.  Obi-Wan, as a Jedi Master, now held the obligation to leave, to return to his galaxy far away.

            “I don’t want to be a Jedi anymore,” he muttered, closing the hide door on Anakin and turning toward Neah, who waited for him in their bed. 

            His heart rate quickened as he saw her, her clothing cast aside, sitting up, her lower half covered by the furs, her long black hair falling around her naked body.  Her eyes regarded him warmly, a soft, seductive smile on her lips.

            “You’ve been out there a long time talking with your brother,” she said, pulling back the blanket.  “Come, let me warm you.”

            But as he came closer, Neah saw the devastation in his eyes, and her whole being shifted to concern.

            “What is it?” she asked.

            Grabbing her to him and holding her tight, Obi-Wan told her the story, in the best way he could for her understanding.  An evil man threatened their land.  He and his brother needed to return home immediately. 

            As he retold the story, Anakin’s comment about Obi-Wan sensing the Sith ship came back to him again, hearting his heart.  He thought he’d chosen to land here because of Neah, he felt sure of it.  But that didn’t make as much sense as Anakin’s theory.  Had he read the Force wrong?

            After his explanation, he pulled back from Neah, his face streaked with tears, hers shocked.

“I can come with you!” Neah said desperately.

For a moment, Obi-Wan felt his heart flutter.  Yes!  Take Neah to his home galaxy.  He’ll hide her somewhere while he takes care of Palpatine with Anakin.  Then they could love each other in secret, like Anakin and Padme.

Shockingly, the thought disgusted him.  He could not hide her away; there was something dishonorable in this practice, as if he were ashamed of her, of his feelings, of their life together.  Obi-Wan could not do such a thing; he was too noble for such lies, such deceptions.  He would not carry on in a way that indicated any shame in his relationship with Neah, as he felt none.  

No, he would leave the Jedi and go somewhere to live out his days with Neah.  But where?  Obi-Wan suddenly realized that his longing to stay was also just as much a part of this place as it was about his new mate.  He loved this woman and this world.

Plus, his home galaxy would be shocking to her in its advancements, its savagery, its leanings towards violence, towards war.  Would her views of him change when she saw the universe from which he came?  He felt a bit contrite himself when he thought about these people, their simple wondrous life compared to the one he left behind, drenched in technological luxuries that led to new ways of killing one another.

But Palpatine?  The Sith?  He had a duty to fulfill.

Let Anakin do it, came a sharp, bitter little voice in his head.  After all, he is the Chosen One.

No.  He was a Jedi Master.  He needed to go back.  Without Neah.

“I cannot take you,” he said, his voice breaking.  “I should not.  It would be wrong.”

Neah scooted away from him slowly, Obi-Wan’s heart breaking from the shattered look on her face.

“You do not want me anymore,” she whispered, a sob in her voice.

“No…no!” he objected.  “I need you.  I do not want to go…”

“Then take me!” she cried.

“I…I can’t.”

Silence fell between them.  Neah looking at him in dejection, tears rolling down her face.

“Somehow, I knew this would not last,” said Neah.  “Everything I care about disappears.  My home village, my parents, my brother.  I don’t know why I believed this.  Why I thought I could finally belong somewhere, with someone.”  She squared her shoulders, her usual body language he knew so well, as if she’d made a decision.  “My work is to walk the forest trails alone, connect the tribes, never to stop, never to have a mate, never to have a home of my own,” Neah said with a resolute sigh.  “Obi-Wan, you should go now.  Please.  Just leave quickly so my heart…so my heart does not ache so much.” She moved under the covers, turning her back to him.

Obi-Wan, tears falling freely down his face, packed slowly and moved from the tent into the night, Anakin and Zolti waiting.  Anakin opened his mouth to speak, but Obi-Wan raised his hand for silence.  He felt the urge to punch his former apprentice in the face.  Wisely, Anakin said nothing, and the trio began to walk back toward the shoreline.

The further he got from the village, from Neah, the worse he felt.  This was wrong.  All wrong.  The Force seemed to push against him to go back.  He felt the increasing need to throw down his pack and his lightsaber which Anakin returned to him, run at full speed back to the little guest home, crawl under the furs with Neah, and hold her, never to let go of her again.  He half listened to Zolti and Anakin’s stories, finding himself caring little, only wanting to turn around.  Peace…all he wanted was a peaceful existence and now he was heading back into the thick of things.  He felt bitterness toward the Force, which he always trusted.  Why show him such contentment, allow him to experience this for weeks, only to snatch it away?

Then go back, he told himself.  To the flaming volcanoes of Mustafar with Palpatine.  Anakin, the other Jedi…they could take care of everything.  Did Obi-Wan always need to be the Jedi on call?

Deeply conflicted, Obi-Wan continued to follow the men as they reached the beach and began to walk south toward the distant cliffs housing the Sith ship.

            Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Zolti had been walking for hours by the time the sun began to rise above the distant hills.  They walked long the vast beach, the morning dense with fog.  Yet, aside from his dislike of sand, the chilly air, and the fog which made visibility difficult, Anakin felt quite happy.  He had Obi-Wan.  He had a ship.  They were going home.

            Zolti checked a data pad.  “We’re nearing the cliffs.  About a mile.  Then we need to begin climbing.  Should be heading to the upper atmosphere by mid-day.”

            They continued onward, and Anakin noticed Obi-Wan’s pace slacken.  He hadn’t spoken much throughout their night hike, listening to Zolti’s stories of the past, Anakin’s plans for the future.  Anakin could sense his pain, yet did not know what to say. 

            Suddenly, Obi-Wan stopped completely, lowering his pack to the ground. 

            Anakin sighed heavily.  “C’mon master, we need to go.”

            “I’m not going,” Obi-Wan said firmly, looking seriously at Anakin.  “This feels wrong.”

            “What?  No, you have to…”

            “I don’t want to be a Jedi anymore.  I refuse, I…”

Anakin could feel his anger rising.  “You’ve been a Jedi your whole life, Obi-Wan.  You can’t just walk away because of some woman.”

“That’s the point, Anakin.  I’ve never known anything else.  And I like this better.  I feel better here.  On this world.  With Neah.  I feel…peaceful.  All my life, all I’ve ever wanted is peace, and here I do not need to fight, to continue…”

“Your duty is to the Republic, Obi-Wan.  To democracy,” Anakin interrupted.

To his surprise, Obi-Wan began to laugh.  “Ah, yes the Republic.  And the entire time I’ve been a Jedi, we’ve been at war…fighting.  I’m exhausted.  I’ve given democracy everything…all I am.  And now…now I just want to live in a hunter-gatherer community, fish, listen to my mate sing, and start a family.”  Obi-Wan laughed some more.  “Yes…that’s what I want to do Anakin, as foolish as it may sound to you.  You say the Sith ship called me here, but my heart tells me otherwise.  The Force speaks to me here, not of the Dark Side, of the Sith, but of a new beginning for me.”

Anakin felt panicked.  Maybe he could knock out Obi-Wan and drag him back to the ship.

Then Obi-Wan looked serious, putting his hand on Anakin’s shoulder, leaning in to give him his usual gaze of reassurance.  “Anakin, I have trained you.  You are a fine Jedi.  And the other Jedi…they will help you with Palpatine.  If he is even still alive.  And you can tell them about me…I do not mind.  I…”

“Obi-Wan!” yelled a voice from the distance.  The men looked back the direction they came to see a woman emerging from the fog, still several yards away.  Neah.  When she spotted them, she froze, her face a portrait of tragic sadness.

She’d been following them, Anakin thought bitterly.  Great, now Obi-Wan would really be tempted.  Perhaps he could knock her out too and throw the pair of them in the cargo hold of the Tenebris.

“Let’s go!” Anakin said, turning, not knowing what to do.  But after a couple of meters he stopped and looked back, Obi-Wan frozen, his back to Anakin, looking at Neah in the early morning light.

Then, Obi-Wan began to walk but not toward Anakin.  The younger Jedi watched as Obi-Wan moved quickly toward Neah, who ran toward him.  The couple embraced passionately, then Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, waving.

“Farewell, Anakin.  You are my brother, and I love you.  I will always love you,” he shouted, and with that, he turned his back on Anakin and Zolti, his arm around Neah, and disappeared into the fog.

Anakin moved after him, but Zolti grabbed him by the shoulder.

“You have other Jedi,” he said.  “I think…well, I don’t know much about the Force, only what you have told me, what Lord Kaan spoke of, but if he feels he belongs here, perhaps he does.”

Anakin nodded.  Then he saw something lying on the ground where Obi-Wan had stood.  Walking over, he bent down and picked up Obi-Wan’s lightsaber in the wet sand.  Sighing, he clipped it on his own belt and followed Zolti toward Tenebris, tears stinging his eyes.

Five days later, the Tenebris, with Zolti and Anakin in the cockpit, drifted in orbit around the gas giant, waiting for the anomaly to show itself.  They’d been hovering for so long, nothing on the sensors, that Anakin began to feel they might be stuck and he should return to the blue planet.  Obi-Wan’s planet.

“Want to play sabaac again?” he asked Zolti.  Restless.  He needed something to pass the time.

Zolti chuckled.  “I’ve already taken all of your fake credits.”

Anakin rolled his eyes, reached into the pocket of his robe as if searching for something, then showed an upturned, empty palm to Zolti.  “Look, found some more.”

Zolti laughed.  “You’re worse than that Sith comedian on the holocron.” He started to rise from his seat.  “Sure.  Let’s go to the library and…”

The ship rocked, and both men tumbled back into their seats.  Anakin quickly buckled in, remembering the last time he’d went through the anomaly.

“Looks like the wormhole found us!” shouted Zolti, as the feeling of implosion enveloped them, the entire spectrum of colors swirling into view.

Anakin awoke to Zolti shouting his name.  Jerking up in his seat, he stared out the front window, the gas giant gone, empty space in front of him.  Alarms sounded and the dash flared to life once again.

“Look!” cried Zolti, pointing to one of the screens.  “The navigation specs!  They are reading Coruscant…Corellia…yes!  We’re back!”

Anakin’s excitement soon gave way to dread.

“Yes…we’re back,” he said sullenly.  “But when are we?”

 

**_Author’s Note: Next time, in an epilogue, we see the fate of our two Jedi._ **

**_Thanks for reading!_ **


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Another Galaxy**

            The sun shone brightly down on Obi-Wan Kenobi, who smiled broadly, letting out a happy sigh.  He looked with deep satisfaction at his finished house, built of wood, gathered and put together with his own two hands, without the aid of the Force.  His home, built with the help of his mate Neah and his new community by the river on a planet 20 million light years from where he was born.

            Weeks passed since he last saw Anakin, when he turned his back on the Jedi on that foggy beach.  He hoped his friend made it home, found peace with Padme, with the other Jedi.  He felt certain the Jedi would take care of Palpatine once they knew. 

            But the Jedi, Anakin, the Clone Wars…everything started to become a distant memory as he established his life on this new world.  Upon leaving the coastal community following Neah’s performance, the couple returned to the river valley to settle down, Obi-Wan becoming a fisherman, Neah a teacher and songstress.  Days and nights passed pleasantly, and the rumor of another mammoth herd passing through sprinkled conversation, everyone looking with great anticipation to Obi-Wan to see what he’d do next.  He’d made new friends, relaxed with his mate, and enjoyed long walks in the wilderness, seeing the changing of the seasons, the coming of what others called summer.

            As he looked at his home, the Jedi briefly passed through his mind again.  Would he be considered one of the fallen ones, those who willingly left the Order?  What did Anakin tell them about Obi-Wan not returning?  He could imagine the younger man making up some story to protect the legacy of Obi-Wan, but that made no difference now.  No more war; just the hum of peace, of everyday life.

            “The house is beautiful,” came Neah’s voice from behind as she wrapped her arms around his waist.  “Thank you, my bear.”

            Obi-Wan turned around to hug her and was greeted with a wide grin.

            “What?”

            “Come with me,” she said, pulling his arm.  “The creek two hills inland?  Someone spotted a bear and her cubs.  Come see.”

            Obi-Wan grabbed his fur coat and moved beside her, taking her hand.  He had yet to see the animal after which Neah took her term of endearment for him.

            As they walked, he felt a sudden ripple in the Force coming from her, something that made him stop short.

            “What is it?” she asked as he stared at her in wonder.

            Placing his hand on her abdomen, he felt the shimmer again.

            “A child!” he gasped.

            “What?!” she said, placing her hands over his.  She looked up at him.  “Well, I haven’t been feeling the same for a few days…I…oh, Obi-Wan!”

            Picking her up and swinging her around in the middle of the forest path, Obi-Wan let the joy of his new found life fill him completely.

            Floating in empty space in-between systems along the Outer Rim, Anakin sat at the dining table aboard the Tenebris, his head in his hands.

            “I should have just stayed with Obi-Wan,” he groaned.

            “You had no way of knowing,” said Zolti, his deep voice smooth, reassuring.  Yes, at least he had Zolti.

            Returning home brought nothing but pain to Anakin.  A little over 104 standard years passed since his departure, but that length of time changed everything.  They’d gone straight to Coruscant to find the Jedi Temple completely gone, a memorial park of sorts.  Anakin walked through the gardens in confusion before visiting a museum on the premises where he learned the history of the fall of the Jedi.  Corrupt, they’d made an attempt on the life of the revered Emperor Palpatine.  The Clone army retaliated against their Jedi leaders, annihilating them all.  Soon after, Palpatine dissolved the Senate, establishing the Galactic Empire.  He ordered the complete destruction of the Temple, the hunting down of any Jedi, the assassination of those loyal to them, including many prominent leaders.  These events occurred a mere five years after Anakin and Obi-Wan’s disappearance, any record of which Anakin could not find.  The Jedi records simply vanished, as if the galaxy were ashamed of their existence.

            A statue of Palpatine stood, six meters high, in the middle of this park, and Anakin had sat staring at it for over an hour in disgust.

            And the strangest thing of all, Emperor Palpatine still lived, ruling from the palace.  From the holonews he watched with Zolti at a local restaurant, Anakin saw the Sith seemed to be a an active noun now, the word used often, not attached to ancient lore but to reality.  Accolades of the Dark Side served as ambassadors and law enforcement, annihilating any attempts at rebellion.  Large, planet-destroying superweapons kept worlds in check, under the yoke of the Empire.  Palpatine, not looking much older than when Anakin left, made weekly galaxy-wide addresses via the holonet.

            “How is he still alive?” Anakin asked Zolti as they ate that day on Coruscant.

            “Sith sorcery,” Zolti shrugged.  “One of the things most Sith desire above all is immortality.  Perhaps Palpatine achieved it.  Kaan would be pleased as well as jealous.  I’m surprised one of these little Sith cronies hasn’t risen up against him.”

            Those words itched at Anakin’s brain, but he needed to find out the fate of Padme now.  Rushing to Naboo, he discovered she’d died after a long life, and he soon found himself standing in front of her grave at a lovely lakeside cemetery.  After the dissolution of the Senate, she’d retreated to her family on Naboo, remarrying, raising three children, living out her days on a planet relatively safe from the violent Empire due to its status as Palpatine’s homeworld.  No mention of Anakin in her biography.  But why would there be, their marriage a secret?

            Now Tenebris hovered in space, Anakin not knowing what to do next.  He pressed his palms into his forehead, trying to keep from sobbing in complete defeat.

            “All hope it not lost, Jedi,” Zolti said, and Anakin raised his head to regard the man.  He sat, smiling warmly at Anakin. 

            “I don’t even know where to begin,” Anakin said softly.

            “Well, you have the element of surprise.  Palpatine probably thinks you long dead.”

            Hmmm…yes…

            “And you know a Sith’s greatest enemy?”

            “Who?” asked Anakin.

            “Another Sith,” grinned Zolti, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to the cupboard in the library, the one with the numerous Sith and Jedi holocrons.  “I know the locations of Kaan’s secret bunkers.  Three of the five are probably ransacked, but the other two should remain intact.  And they are filled with knowledge.  And you are strong in the Force.  You are the Chosen One.”

            The key sat on the table, and Anakin stared at it, the pounding of his heart filling his ears.  Yes, he was the Chosen One, but he needed more training to take on such a foe.  He looked back up at Zolti, who waited patiently, a golden gleam in his usually dark eyes.

            In one swift movement, Anakin grabbed the key and stood.  Walking down the hall, he entered the cabin with the cupboard, unlocking the door.  The holocrons hummed and shook, calling to him in their strange voices.  He reached for the first cube, determination filling his heart. 

The End

****

**_Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading my story!  Please let me know your thoughts._ **

**_I hope you will continue to join me on my next adventure.  Look for my new story, Raised in Darkness, soon.  Take care, and may the Force be with you!_ **


End file.
